Chongzhen revived the Ming Dynasty

Wen Tiren and Min Hongxue discussed the Nanjing officials because, after months of delay, the Nanjing officials were finally about to begin the imperial examinations.

Besides Min Hongxue, who was already confirmed as the Minister of Revenue in Nanjing, Lü Tunan, the Minister of War in Nanjing, Sun Shenxing, the Minister of Personnel in Nanjing, and Meng Shaoyu, the Minister of Rites in Nanjing, were all confirmed to remain in their posts.

They all had no hope of promotion and couldn't find better positions. They could only stay in Nanjing and maintain their current status.

However, Jin Yuzhong, the Minister of Works in Nanjing, has already decided to retire.

With the addition of Zheng Sanjun's vacant position as Minister of Justice in Nanjing, the competition for these two positions was the fiercest.

This position was determined by Zhu Youjian to be given to Nanjing officials in recognition of their achievements.

Zhu Shishou, who belonged to the Donglin School and presided over the Nanjing Dali Court, was elected as the Minister of Justice in Nanjing.

His position at the Nanjing Supreme Court was taken over by Geng Haoren, the Provincial Treasurer who had previously served as a judge.

This was an outstanding official who was recommended in the first year of the Chongzhen reign. His contemporaries, such as Bi Zisu, Zhang Mengjing, Liu Rongsi, Ding Kuichu, and Wu Zhaoyuan, had all become high-ranking officials at the level of governor.

Because they caught the opportune moment of the downfall of the eunuch faction and the resulting vacancy of positions, they were generally promoted after being remembered by Zhu Youjian.

Lu Wenheng was in a similar situation, having previously served as a principal officer in the Ministry of Works and performed well as the prefect of Fuzhou. Under Zhu Youjian's arrangement, he became the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works in Nanjing, overseeing the industrial development of Southern Zhili.

The position of Minister of Works in Nanjing was left vacant by Zhu Youjian, just like the position of Vice Minister of Rites and Minister of War in Nanjing, with the intention of making flexible arrangements later.

Anyway, there's not much going on in Nanjing; a minister or vice minister is enough to handle things.

If the reshuffling of the Privy Council next year involves the difficulty of relocating governors and viceroys, then the ministers or vice-ministers in Nanjing would be good transitional positions.

This result surprised some people, because they still wanted to compete for the position.

Although the Minister of Works ranks last among the Six Ministries, the Minister of Works in Nanjing can be said to be ranked last among the twelve ministers.

But he was still a minister, and with that qualification, he could come to the imperial court in Beijing to serve as one of the Nine Ministers.

The fact that such positions are currently vacant is causing resentment among some people.

Grand Secretary Han Kuang then said:
"Although the Ministry of Works in Nanjing does not have many affairs, the Minister of Works of Nanjing is one of the members of the Nanjing Imperial Council."

"It doesn't look right to leave it empty; at least someone should be assigned to fill it."

The ministers echoed his sentiments. After considering the matter, Zhu Youjian looked at Zhang Jiude and said:

"Zhang Qing was in charge of the waterway and had previously served as one of the Nine Ministers."

"I'll go to the south for a year to sort out Nanjing's water system."

"We need to connect the waterways of the Grand Canal, the Yangtze River, and Taihu Lake, and remove any obstacles in between."

"After you've done your job, you can return to the capital. You'll still be serving as the Vice Minister in charge of the Yellow River."

A high-ranking official was sent to Nanjing to strengthen control over the Nanjing court.

Zhang Jiude was somewhat surprised by this, because his newfound power hadn't increased, yet his status had risen—

Having once served as the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, if he were to gain the qualifications to become the Minister of Works in the south, he could certainly aspire to the position of one of the Nine Ministers in the future.

For him, who was demoted for his involvement in a treason case and now has to work with his tail between his legs, this is undoubtedly a chance to make a comeback in the officialdom.

From then on, he would become a strong contender for the position of one of the Nine Ministers.

The other ministers had various thoughts upon seeing this.

Yang Jingchen and Guo Yunhou, who were involved with the eunuch faction, were pleased to see this, because they saw an opportunity for similar officials to be reinstated.

Although the Donglin Party disliked it, they were already divided and had to avoid being suspected of forming a faction in front of the emperor.

If they bring up Zhang Jiude's involvement with the eunuch faction, given that the emperor clearly dislikes factional strife, they will only anger the emperor.

In addition, Zhang Jiude was kind and diligent, and his son Zhang Nengxin became a disciple of Liu Zongzhou, while his relative by marriage Liu Xianchong was listed among the Donglin Party members.

This person had very few enemies in the court, and his appointment was approved smoothly.

Zhu Youjian nodded secretly when he saw that no one jumped out.

He still believed in his control over the court and that appointing a temporary acting official should not cause any trouble.

This appointment also demonstrates that although he delegated the reshuffling of middle and lower-level officials, no one in the court dared to ignore his decision.

One purpose of appointing Zhang Jiude as Minister of Works in Nanjing was to test the officials in the imperial court.

Another objective is to cultivate talent, as there are very few diligent and relatively young officials born in the 70s like Zhang Jiude in the court, and he needs to build up a pool of such talent.

We cannot discard them simply because they once sided with the eunuch faction; doing so would make it even harder to find qualified ministers.

He always intended to remain in office for another decade or so for such honest ministers.

After promoting Zhang Jiude, Zhu Youjian temporarily put Zhang Wenyu, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, in charge of the waterway affairs in the capital.

This person was also a professional involved in the treason case. After passing the imperial examination in the second year of the Tianqi reign, he was promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works in just five years due to the construction of the three main halls.

Zhu Youjian suppressed him for five years after ascending the throne, but now the ban has been lifted as well.

The massive demolition and construction in Beijing needs someone like this to lead it.

Zhu Youjian planned to concurrently serve as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture after he made meritorious contributions.

Having interfered in the appointments of two officials in the Ministry of Works, Zhu Youjian warned:
"Officials in the Ministry of Household Affairs and the Ministry of Works are all involved in dealing with money and grain."

"The chances of corruption crimes such as embezzlement and bribery are also the highest."

"The Censorate must strengthen its oversight and work with the Academy of Sciences to enhance the accounting of financial and grain data."

"Check any anomalies; don't be afraid of the hassle."

"I hope that the officials appointed this time are all clean and honest, and that they do not take office while ill."

These words seemed to have a hidden meaning.

Some of the court officials who had previously been so engrossed in their power to oversee the leadership transition were even startled and broke out in a cold sweat.

If the officials in this reshuffle were elected through normal channels, that's fine. But if they were recommended by others, they will bear joint responsibility if they commit crimes.

The current emperor is absolutely clear on this matter; even Fang Xiaoru, whose case was widely petitioned for an overturning, was implicated because of his recommendation.

The rumors that Fang Xiaoru had his entire family executed (up to ten generations) have long been investigated and clarified.

According to the records of the Nanjing Embroidered Uniform Guard, not all those killed were his relatives; most were officials he had recommended.

This matter was not publicized extensively because of the need to avoid offending the emperor and to protect the reputation of Emperor Chengzu and Fang Xiaoru.

However, when allowing the recommendation of candidates, the emperor explicitly cited this case as a reference.

This serves as a warning to officials not to make indiscriminate recommendations, lest they be implicated in the future.
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Han Kuang felt even more uneasy upon thinking about this.

As the Grand Secretary, he wielded absolute power during this reshuffle. Even with restrictions on cabinet personnel appointments, he still managed to place many officials from his own faction in power.

Now that the emperor has warned him against "taking office while ill," he is thinking of some officials who may have committed offenses.

If I get involved because of these people, I'll definitely be humiliated.

"Is His Majesty really trying to make me take the blame?" "Is he pushing all the potential problems onto me?"

How could something not go wrong during the first large-scale leadership reshuffle?
Han Kuang felt aggrieved just thinking about it, believing that being the chief minister under the current emperor was too difficult.

Especially considering that he would have to take the blame for the severe drought rumors circulating in the capital, he felt even more disheartened.
"No matter how well you do, what if you lack the right timing and the right people?"

"A drought is about to strike, the Emperor wants me to take the blame, and everyone is waiting for me to make a mistake."

"Being the prime minister is really tough!"

Thinking back to the glory of being appointed prime minister by the platform, Han Kuang felt as if it were a lifetime ago.

I don't know why things have turned out this way; it's getting harder and harder to do things.
Just as he was lost in thought, Zhu Youjian deliberately kept him and Bi Ziyan, Shang Zhouzuo, and other officials related to money and grain after the court assembly.

Zhu Youjian asked them:

"What's the situation in Henan right now?"

"Based on five consecutive years of disasters, how much money and food relief would be needed?"

"Or rather, how many people were relocated."

These people all knew of the emperor's prophecy of drought and did not dispute it. Han Kuang said:
"Five consecutive years of severe drought is simply unimaginable."

“Ordinary people often face a food shortage every year, and even those with savings can only make ends meet for a year at most.”

"Perhaps some wealthy families can hold out for three to five years, but they cannot prevent widespread unrest among the people."

“Those starving disaster victims will gather together and destroy all the farms, making it impossible for more places to produce.”

"Therefore, if a severe drought were to occur for five consecutive years, the imperial court would need not only disaster relief, but also to send troops to quell the rebellion."

"His Majesty's decision to combine the suppression of the rebellion with disaster relief is truly wise and decisive."

Having subtly flattered the emperor, Han Kuang hoped that the emperor would hand over the matter to the Committee for Suppression of Rebellion and Disaster Relief.

However, Zhu Youjian believed that it was not yet time for that, and that Henan was still orderly.

He is now taking precautions, preemptively addressing some of the problems in Henan in preparation for the impending drought:

"Henan is located in the heart of the Central Plains. If it falls into chaos, the whole country will be in chaos."

"We must pay attention to this place and prepare for five consecutive years of severe drought."

“Grain storage, water conservancy and so on, all need to be planned.”

“If necessary, we should learn from Shaanxi and switch to military control by the military and civilian government.”

This was in preparation for a worsening situation, and even if Han Kuang and the others had their doubts, they had no choice but to follow the emperor's instructions.

Han Kuang said he would make plans in the cabinet, while Bi Ziyan said he would inspect the Henan government's granaries and raise grain to prevent drought.

Shang Zhouzuo, the Minister of Works, proposed:

"The Yellow River breached its banks in June this year. His Majesty sent troops to Kaifeng for military exercises, to suppress bandits along the river, and to relocate affected residents."

"It seems that the results are quite good now. I think we can use the prefectures and counties on both sides of the Yellow River as a pilot area to implement military control first."

"This way, if a drought really occurs in Henan, there will be a solution."

"At the very least, these prefectural and county officials can be transferred to the three provincial departments and assigned to oversee the prefectures and counties."

This is a feasible approach, modeled after the various experimental zones established by Zhu Youjian.

However, the experimental zones set up by Zhu Youjian were also for piloting certain policies, and most of them were forward-looking.

This experimental zone was a step backward, changing from a normal prefecture/county to military control.

Zhu Youjian hesitated for a moment, and Han Kuang also objected:
"Taking military control over the prefectures and counties of Henan now could easily cause local unrest."

"If the people panic and rush to buy food, it will be even more difficult to fill the imperial granaries."

"Moreover, local wealthy families were unwilling to give up their land until they saw that there were displaced people and bandits everywhere."

This involves people's psychology, as well as the funds that the Ministry of Revenue has prepared for disaster relief. Bi Ziyan immediately said that this matter should be handled with caution.

However, Shang Zhouzuo did not give up on his idea and suggested:
“If the prefectures and counties in Henan are uneasy, then it will not be limited to military control of the prefectures and counties in Henan.”

"The Emperor can use the pretext of river management to establish river garrisons and military control over sections of the Yellow River that are prone to problems."

"In this way, there will be enough manpower for the management of the Yellow River. Even if it is absolutely necessary to release floodwater, it can be released directly into the land of the garrison, without having to deal with the local bigwigs."

"After the Mengjin breach in June, the area was in chaos, which was a good opportunity. We could seize the land along the Yellow River to set up garrisons while relocating the disaster victims, and make them specifically responsible for the river channel."

This was his proposal to establish river garrisons, modeled after industrial and mining garrisons and railway garrisons. This was intended to expand the Ministry of Works' power and give the provincial inspectorates under its supervision greater control over local areas.

Shang Zhouzuo, who was very enthusiastic about this, explained the feasibility of the matter and then made the following suggestion:

"According to the investigation by officials of the Ministry of Works, although there is a lot of silt in the lower reaches of the Yellow River, it makes it easy for ships to run aground."

"But after the channel is dredged, it will still be possible to navigate."

"If the disaster victims in Henan could be transported out to sea directly via the Yellow River, the Grand Canal, the Huai River, and the Yangtze River, it would be much easier to get them out."

“Grain from overseas can also be transported to Henan more conveniently via waterways.”

"This is very important after a drought occurs. We can inform the major farmers in Henan now so that they can cultivate wasteland overseas to prepare for disasters."

"If half of the people are willing to go, they can stabilize half of Henan."

This suggestion was something Zhu Youjian had not considered.

Regarding disaster relief, he always thought of relying on the power of the imperial court, and his requirement for local powerful families was that they not cause trouble.

However, Shang Zhouzuo believed that most wealthy families were still loyal to the imperial court. Seeing the court's extensive preparations for disaster relief, these people, with their doubts, would surely make similar preparations and arrange for their family members to settle and cultivate land overseas.

If a drought does occur, they will actively transport food from overseas to provide disaster relief for their own safety.

Although Zhu Youjian did not believe that local powerful families had this awareness, he felt it was worth a try to select gentry who were loyal to the court.

If someone disobeys after a disaster, there's no need to be polite; just find any excuse to forcibly relocate them.

After establishing his military advantage, he became increasingly ruthless towards local forces, even considering reclaiming the territory.

Therefore, Shang Zhouzuo's proposal was approved by Zhu Youjian.

He ordered Sun Chuanting, who had been sent as an imperial envoy, to temporarily serve as the Yellow River Inspector General, and to establish river garrisons in all the places along the Yellow River where it was necessary.

To reduce resistance, he also agreed to one thing: allowing large households in the area that had not reached the land limit to annex the land of farmers with less than two acres of land.

First, force the landless and land-poor farmers out of the area to prevent them from becoming refugees when drought strikes.

As a complement, he demanded that Zhu Xieyuan pacify Annam as soon as possible, conquer the Lancang River Delta, and resettle more disaster victims to cultivate the land.

This is also the focus of the court's work in the coming years. This is another thing that Zhu Youjian thinks could threaten the survival of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if he starts to delegate authority, he can't let go of this matter. (End of Chapter)