Chongzhen's domineering

Chapter 2 If you have no money or grain, go rob me!
At the end of the Tianqi era, war broke out on all sides.

Before the rebellion of She'an in the southwest had been quelled, a peasant uprising had already broken out in the northwest.

Pirates in the southeast are becoming increasingly rampant, and the Jurchens in the northeast are even threatening to reach the capital.

With the situation deteriorating to this point, whose fault is it?

The reason why the Ming Dynasty deteriorated to such an extent was not entirely Wei Zhongxian's fault. When an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent; everyone bears responsibility.

However, he could use this incident to further manipulate Wei Zhongxian.

Zhu Jue slowly raised his head, staring at the man with an imposing air, and said, "Your imperial brother entrusted the affairs of state to you, and this is how you govern? War has broken out in the northwest, southwest, northeast, and southeast, and the Liaodong and Gansu garrisons have been in arrears with their pay for more than a year. Why have you done nothing about it?"

What to do when there is no money and no food?
Wei Zhongxian forced a smile and said, “Your Majesty, the war has been raging for years, and the national treasury is already running out of funds. I dare not hide anything from Your Majesty. Since the end of the Wanli era, the accumulated arrears of grain and provisions on the nine border regions have reached a staggering nine million taels [Note: This data comes from Bi Ziyan, Minister of Revenue, in his “Detailed Report on the Arrears of Annual Grain and Provisions on the Border Regions”]. Mobilizing a large army requires money and provisions. Without money and provisions, this humble subject has no way to help.

Do we lack money and provisions?
I can think of a way to solve this.

However, I cannot let you get away with just saying that we have no money or grain.

I must make you understand that you hold great power, and you must bear the responsibilities that come with it. If everyone only cares about fighting for power and profit, and ignores the responsibilities that come with power, then the Ming Dynasty is doomed.

Zhu Jue coldly said, "Is this how you govern the country? Your brother gave you power and put you in control of the entire court so that you could govern the Ming Dynasty well. Can't you find a way to solve the problem of lacking funds and provisions?"

What can I do?
Wei Zhongxian was speechless. He was truly at his wit's end. With no money or supplies, he could only drag things out.

The result of his procrastination was that as soon as Chongzhen ascended the throne, there was the Ningyuan mutiny in Liaodong, followed by the mutiny in Yansui and Gansu!

Li Zicheng, the rebel leader, was a garrison commander in Gansu; Zhang Xianzhong, the Eighth King, was a border general in Yansui; and Wu Sangui, Kong Youde, Shang Kexi, and Geng Zhongming, who conquered most of the country for the Qing Dynasty, all came from Liaodong Garrison!
The soldiers here cannot be shortchanged on their rations and pay.

They risked their lives for the Ming Dynasty, yet they received no pay or food. This would lead to a mutiny. Once mutinies broke out everywhere, morale would collapse, and the Ming Dynasty would be beyond saving.

How can this be good?

The solution Emperor Chongzhen came up with in history was to impose three additional taxes!
The taxes levied, including the Liaodong tax, the suppression tax, and the training tax, were three times the original amount.

This is like drinking poison to quench thirst!
Ordinary people were already rebelling because they had no money to eat, and now they are being taxed three times more? Isn't this just forcing them to keep rebelling?
The reason why peasant uprisings could not be suppressed was due to both natural disasters and the imposition of additional taxes.

This is a vicious cycle. Ordinary people rebel because they have no money to eat, and then the taxes are tripled, forcing more people to rebel. Then even more taxes are levied, forcing even more people to rebel. If this cycle continues, the Ming Dynasty will surely perish.

Zhu Jue would naturally not do that.

Ordinary people have no money to eat, while corrupt officials are rolling in money. Imposing more taxes will force ordinary people to revolt, while investigating and confiscating the property of corrupt officials will make ordinary people applaud. Where does the money come from? Is there any need to think about it?
Everyone knows that there is no faster way to make money than robbing someone.

If you want to make a lot of money in a short time, the only way is to rob, rob those corrupt officials!

That's exactly what Li Zicheng did.

After taking control of the capital, this fellow subjected corrupt officials to severe torture and forced them to hand over their ill-gotten gains!

According to unofficial historical accounts, this interrogation yielded a staggering 70 million taels of silver!
Li Zicheng's idea of ​​forcibly collecting wages is not bad.

However, extorting money is a double-edged sword. While it can bring in a large amount of wealth in a short period, it will also offend most officials and even the gentry.
How many officials these days aren't corrupt?
As emperor, he couldn't openly plunder money like this. If he did, he would push most officials and even the gentry to the opposite side, and he would become a lonely figure like Emperor Chongzhen in history.

Li Zicheng went too far in this matter, offending most officials and gentry, making it impossible for him to stay in the capital.

The civil officials and gentry who had initially held a sliver of hope for this man completely broke with him. Not only were they unwilling to associate with this rebel, they also created obstacles for him everywhere.

The outcome was predictable.

This fellow eventually became like a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone, with no place to stand, and could only wander around, becoming the most famous bandit in history.

He didn't want to become a pariah; he needed someone else to take the blame and play the villain who stole the money.

There's no need to look for that villain.

Wei Zhongxian is perfect for playing the villain. He is the most wicked person in the world, so he doesn't even need to pretend!
As for the food problem, there are actually solutions.

This can also be learned from Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong. Li Zicheng plundered twelve princes and Zhang Xianzhong plundered seven princes. Most of their food and supplies were taken from the princes!

During the Jiajing era, Imperial Censor Lin Run once submitted a memorial stating that the most worrying and problematic issue in the country today was the situation of the imperial princes. The annual grain supply to the capital was four million shi (a unit of dry measure), while the stipends for the princes in various regions amounted to eight million five hundred and thirty thousand shi, which was no less than double that amount.

In other words, during the Jiajing reign, the stipends for princes and nobles accounted for two-thirds of the imperial tax revenue. At that time, the number of princes and nobles was less than 50,000. Now, the number of princes and nobles is more than 100,000. The amount of stipends that the imperial court has to allocate to princes and nobles every year is unknown.

He didn't need to plunder those princes like Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong; he only needed to stop the stipends for the princes.

If the stipends for imperial princes were stopped, the Ming court would have emergency grain supplies.

However, as the saying goes, as emperor, he cannot openly compete with the imperial family for their stipends and stipends. If he openly did so, he would offend his own family.

This stipend for the princes and their families also had to be played by Wei Zhongxian, who would fight with the princes and their families for it.

The core competence of those in power lies in recognizing and employing talent, and Wei Zhongxian was truly a remarkable person.

Thinking of this, he slowly raised his head and looked at Wei Zhongxian, a slight smile on his face.

Wei Zhongxian felt extremely uneasy being watched so closely.

Could the young emperor be laughing out of sheer rage?
Zhu Jue, like the Big Bad Wolf luring Little Red Riding Hood, said with a smile, "Eunuch Wei, you still control the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Capital Garrison, right?"

What does this mean?
You don't mean to take over the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Capital Garrison, do you?
Wei Zhongxian thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I dare not. The Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Capital Garrison both serve Your Majesty."

You can talk.

If you couldn't even speak properly, you probably wouldn't be where you are today.

Zhu Jue nodded slightly and said solemnly, "Eunuch Wei, what do you think we should do since we have no money or provisions?"

How would I know?

Why do you keep asking me this?
Wei Zhongxian appeared ashamed and said, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and do not know what to do."

You do have some ability; at least you're ruthless enough.

I will let you make the most of this talent.

You'll have to take the blame for this!

Zhu Jue patiently instructed, "The grain is easy to handle; just order someone to stop the stipends for the imperial princes. But the money is a bit more difficult to deal with."

what?
I ordered the suspension of the stipends for the imperial princes!

Are you trying to make me offend all the princes and royal families in the world?

Why should I take the blame for you?

Why don't you take the blame for this?

Although Wei Zhongxian was illiterate, he was still quite intelligent. In fact, he was very good at using his intelligence; otherwise, he wouldn't have achieved his current status.

The princes and royal families are not to be trifled with; if you anger these guys, you'll be in big trouble.

What if it provokes the princes and royal families to raise an army to quell the rebellion and use the pretext of punishing this treacherous eunuch?

Will the young emperor still protect him then?

He thought about it carefully, then looked troubled and said, "Your Majesty, if the stipends for the imperial princes and their families are stopped, those princes and their families will probably cause a huge uproar."

It would have been great if the princes and members of the imperial family could turn the tide. Historical facts prove that they were a bunch of useless incompetents; after Chongzhen hanged himself, not one of them could be put to any good.

Zhu Jue said calmly, "Are you still afraid of them causing trouble? Why weren't you afraid when the Donglin faction made such a big fuss back then?"

That's different.

Wei Zhongxian said helplessly, "Your Majesty, the princes and members of the imperial family are all relatives of the royal family."

What's wrong with the royal family? They feed a bunch of useless people with hundreds of millions of bushels of grain a year.

My company doesn't employ idle people.

My Ming Dynasty cannot afford to support these idle people.

You don't want to take the blame for this, do you?

Zhu Jue immediately put on a stern face and said coldly, "Didn't you understand what I said? The stipends for the imperial princes have been stopped. Use them for rations and disaster relief. The imperial family members are my relatives. What does it have to do with you?"

A leader must be assertive when necessary; he must make it clear to his subordinates that his decisions are not to be questioned.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian's heart began to pound again.

He didn't want to take the blame, but the young emperor's meaning was clear: not taking the blame meant disobedience, and if he disobeyed, the young emperor would no longer favor him!

If the young emperor stops favoring him, the consequences will be unimaginable; he has offended countless people over the years.

So be it, so be it. Let the princes and royal family make a fuss. Do those guys really think they can come to the capital and bite him?
He gritted his teeth inwardly, then cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

You dare disobey my orders? Try it.

Zhu Jue then instructed, "There's still the problem of money. We can only ask those corrupt officials for it. Order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate who embezzled and how much. Once they find out, throw them into the imperial prison and subject them to severe torture until they hand over their ill-gotten gains. If they don't, continue to torture them until they pay back all the money they've embezzled."

Ah!
Isn't this just nonsense?
What terrible ideas are these?

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian was surprised and said, "Your Majesty, if I were to arrest them like this, the officials in the court would be in uproar."

You're not afraid of anything.

Zhu Juewei said sternly, "You can recover stolen goods from honest officials who are incorruptible, but you can't recover stolen goods from corrupt officials?"

That's not how it works.

These days, how many officials aren't corrupt?

I've been trying to win over corrupt officials; the honest ones wouldn't even deign to associate with me.

Moreover, corrupt officials often work in large groups, and you can arrest a whole bunch of them at once.

Are you asking me to deal with my own people?
Can we still live like this?

Wei Zhongxian thought for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, you said to arrest whom, but we can't arrest them all, can we?"

Do I really need to teach you this? What if we arrest them all?
Are there any good people left in the imperial court these days?
You're still a bit disobedient; you need to be disciplined.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then said sternly, "You should arrest those who are greedy first, such as Cui Wensheng. He was the governor of the Grand Canal and in charge of the waterways, so he must have embezzled quite a bit, right?"
"When my father had diarrhea, he even gave him rhubarb as a laxative, which caused his diarrhea to worsen. Ultimately, his father mistakenly took a red pill and died suddenly. This treacherous minister, you shall throw him into prison and beat him to death!"

Cui Wensheng!
This fellow was demoted to Nanjing to await punishment for giving Taichang a laxative.

The young emperor knows about this!

This fellow bribed me with a lot of money before I appointed him as the governor of the Grand Canal and in charge of the waterways.

The little emperor actually ordered me to recover his stolen goods!

Does this mean that if I disobey, I will be thrown into prison and beaten to death?
Enough, enough. Better to die for a fellow Daoist than for this one.

Gaining the favor of this newly crowned young emperor is the most important thing right now.

Originally, Emperor Tianqi didn't care, so it wasn't a big deal for me to appoint Cui Wensheng as the governor of the Grand Canal and in charge of the waterways.

Now that the young emperor knows, this person can no longer be used.

Cui Wensheng, don't blame me for being ruthless. You should have known this day would come when you gave Taichang laxatives.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian's eyes darted around before he quickly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."

If this guy is properly trained, he can be quite useful. He can take the blame, rob money and grain, and deal with the Donglin Party and the Qi-Chu-Zhe Party. The key is not to let him run wild like Tianqi did.

Zhu Jue thought for a moment, then carefully instructed, "Eunuch Wei, you should know how important these recovered embezzled funds are. You must make it clear to your men that all recovered embezzled funds must be turned over to the Imperial Treasury. Anyone who dares to embezzle them will be executed without mercy!"

Does that mean I can't keep it for myself?

Alright, let's plug this huge hole of unpaid wages and pay first.

Wei Zhongxian repeatedly cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I understand."

This is not over yet.

Zhu Jue then instructed in detail: "Also, you must make your subordinates work harder, investigate thoroughly, and recover the stolen money as soon as possible. The amount of stolen money recovered each month must not be less than one million taels. If they cannot do this, they will be dismissed and replaced with someone else."

One million taels a month isn't much, but the key is that it's one million taels every month.

You can't expect me to keep doing this forever, can you?

If I keep going on and on, those corrupt officials will fight me to the death.

Wei Zhongxian thought for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, is it not feasible to continue pursuing this indefinitely?"

If the pursuit continues indefinitely, corrupt officials in the imperial court will surely be brought to justice and disappear without a trace.

However, such blatant robbery is not a long-term solution. If they end up like Li Zicheng, things will get really complicated.

Everything should be done in moderation; never go too far.

So how much should you grab?

The border troops' owed wages and rations must be made up, and I also needed money to establish my dynasty.

Zhu Jue thought about it carefully, then nodded slightly and said, "Well, let's pursue the recovery for two years first, and then see how things go."

Two years is only twenty-four months; it's enough to catch a few dozen people who have embezzled a lot and recover their ill-gotten gains.

It shouldn't be a big problem.

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian nodded repeatedly and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

Having said that, he was about to bow and take his leave.

Zhu Jue raised his hand and said, "Wait a minute. Now that war has broken out on all sides, how do you plan to deal with it?"

what?
How would I know how to handle this!

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhongxian was stunned.

(End of this chapter)