Late Ming Dynasty: Oops, I am surrounded by the Donglin Party

"Shikang, I can't wait any longer." Emperor Chongzhen also smiled.

Unlike Zhang Shikang, as the emperor, he stayed within the palace walls and was always thinking about how to improve the Ming Dynasty's finances.

Due to Emperor Chongzhen's personality, he never tolerated any injustice. Ever since he learned about the dirty deeds of the Donglin Party from Zhang Shikang, the Donglin Party members had already been on Emperor Chongzhen's blacklist.

If Zhang Shikang had not kept saying that the time was not right, Emperor Chongzhen would have wanted to take action to rectify the court long ago.

What's funny is that Liu Zongzhou and others actually took the initiative to ask to resign. Emperor Chongzhen's hesitation was a disrespect for the deception he had suffered.

"Nineteen million taels of silver are worth the risk to give Ming a future."

"Yes, Shikang is not deceiving me. Nineteen million taels is the annual income of the Ming Dynasty for several years. How do you plan to distribute it?" Emperor Chongzhen said seriously.

To this day, Emperor Chongzhen almost completely trusts Zhang Shikang's words.

Including the last fundraising, Zhang Shikang raised 25 million taels of silver in two times. Nothing he thought or did was false.

He can win battles, defeat ministers, and make money.

His ancestors truly blessed him with a national hero; even the first champion marquis, Huo Qubing, could not compare to him.

"Expand the army! The Beijing garrison currently has only 40,000 troops, which is still too few to intimidate those border towns that only follow orders but not announcements.

The Jiannu had just been defeated, but they were not seriously injured. The bandits were wreaking havoc in Sichuan, which required strong military support.

Your Majesty, please do not underestimate the Donglin Party. Do you still remember what I told Your Majesty?"

"Class struggle." Emperor Chongzhen thought for a while and said.

"Yes, what they said in the court today was not alarmist. They can really mobilize the power of the class behind them to resist.

Speaking of which, from today on, Your Majesty must be more careful in your daily life, diet, and travel." Zhang Shikang glanced at Wang Chengen and Fang Zhenghua.

These two people often accompanied Chongzhen. One was responsible for his daily life and food, and the other was responsible for the safety of the guards. They were the main responsible persons.

Fang Zhenghua immediately bowed to Zhang Shikang with a very serious expression:

"Don't worry, my Lord. I will definitely send more people and will never let the bad guys take advantage of the situation."

Wang Chengen also bowed and said:

"In addition to the original food tasters, I will personally supervise and taste the food for His Majesty's daily diet. Even if I lose my life, I will never let His Majesty make any mistakes."

The two of them now admire Zhang Shikang from the bottom of their hearts and have no doubt about Zhang Shikang's concerns.

Seeing the two of them being so serious, Zhang Shikang joked:

"Then you are blessed, you can eat the imperial meal before His Majesty every day."

After hearing what Zhang Shikang said, Emperor Chongzhen's expression became serious.

"I am behind these high walls, and those people don't have the ability to do this. But you, don't forget the assassination in the military camp.

No matter where you go in the future, remember to bring more guards with you. I do this for you and for the people of Ming who are starving to death.

If something unexpected happens to you, I..."

"Well, Your Majesty, please don't curse me. I haven't enjoyed the happiness yet!" Zhang Shikang said helplessly.

"I will let all the Donglin Party members be buried with you." Emperor Chongzhen still said stubbornly, with a rare hint of determination in his words.

Zhang Shikang didn't dare to respond and had to change the subject again.

"According to my estimation, the Beijing Camp should be expanded to at least 80,000 to 100,000 troops. If this group of new soldiers can develop the combat effectiveness of veteran soldiers in due course, great things can be expected.

Governor Lu's Tianxiong Army urgently needs to be rebuilt to ensure the safety of Shanxi's defense line, and the appropriate number of troops is 30,000.

In addition, there are the unpaid wages for the border towns and inland garrisons.

I have roughly estimated that this part of the expenditure alone will require at least five to six million taels."

Of course, the cost of recruiting 70,000 to 80,000 new soldiers for the Beijing Camp and the Tianxiong Army alone would not be enough.

But recruiting new soldiers requires more than just pay and food, there is also a series of expenses including corresponding uniforms, armor, weapons, war horses, etc.

More than 19 million taels of silver may seem like a lot, but it is not enough to withstand the money-eating behemoth that is the army.

The sound of a cannon is worth a fortune. The ancients were right.

Fortunately, this operation against Shanxi merchants not only reaped gold and silver, but also seven or eight hundred carts of luxury goods such as jewelry, jade, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, as well as hundreds of shops.

These assets have a long liquidity cycle, but they are all hard currency after all.

His father was very familiar with antique collections and shops. According to Zhang Zhiji's estimation, if he sold the antiques slowly, he should be able to realize at least 7 or 8 million taels of cash.

"Oh, I almost forgot that General Qin Liangyu will definitely expand her army. To stabilize the southeast, I can count on the white-pole soldiers."

Zhang Shikang thought for a while and said.

"The court has really owed General Qin a lot over the years." Emperor Chongzhen sighed.

Although the imperial court was in financial difficulties in these years, Qin Liangyu led troops to defend the country many times and participated in suppressing rebellions many times. It is said that she sold her property to pay the military salaries.

Now Qin Liangyu is old, the White Spear Soldiers have been in decline for a long time, and there are less than 3,000 soldiers who can fight, which is a pity.

“Your Majesty, there is no need to do this. A loyal minister is loyal to the emperor and protects the country without asking for anything in return.

"Your Majesty was unable to lend a helping hand before due to financial difficulties, but now you can, right?" Zhang Shikang consoled.

Although Brother Chongzhen had a lot of problems, his guilt was real. If General Qin knew about it, he would surely be grateful.

"Well, I will listen to you on all military and political affairs. You just need to act according to the plan." said Emperor Chongzhen.

This money was originally obtained by Zhang Shikang, and Emperor Chongzhen had no intention of interfering in how it was used.

Using it in the military was a strategy the two had decided on long ago.

Ever since Emperor Chongzhen returned from the military camp, he had been firmly convinced of the benefits of a strong army.

Living in troubled times, the only thing that matters is having weapons in hand to fight.

"Speaking of which, it has been almost a month since your Majesty's edict and my letter were sent out.

I think General Qin should have received it, but I don’t know what’s going on over there.”

Zhang Shikang muttered.

He was still quite worried about the situation in the southwest, as the bandits were naturally the cause.

But in addition to the bandits, there are also veteran soldiers like Zuo Liangyu.

Zhang Shikang knew that Zuo Liangyu would become a powerful soldier in the future, so he ordered Qin Liangyu to control or even incorporate the 50,000 soldiers under Zuo Liangyu.

This was a very risky move, but Zhang Shikang had no other choice at the time because the imperial court was too poor.

Qin Liangyu had only less than 3,000 white-flag soldiers under her command. Although Zhang Shikang had confidence in Qin Liangyu, he was still worried.

"Now that the Beijing Camp has returned, I intend to transfer Cao Bianjiao to Chongqing Prefecture to support General Qin and bring a sum of silver with me to expand the White Spear Army."

Although Emperor Chongzhen always said that he made the decisions on military and political affairs, Zhang Shikang always reported any major military deployments or decisions to Emperor Chongzhen.

Even if he could successfully incorporate Zuo Liangyu's troops, Zhang Shikang still had no hope for the combat effectiveness of the soldiers under the old soldier.

The southwest is mountainous, so the White Spear Soldiers are the top priority.

“Speaking of which, once the tax system reform is finalized, I should probably go to the Nine Borders myself.

Let's see what Zu Dashou and Wu Sangui are trying to do."

……