Jiajing Chengming

"reward!"

Zhu Houcong called out with a smile at this time.

Qin Wen, the eunuch of the Imperial Household Department, then put the silver coins he had prepared in advance on a plate and brought them to Ji Nang.

Jinang kowtowed to express his gratitude and accepted the reward.

Zhu Houcong also said at this time that he wanted Jinang to persuade Altan to withdraw his troops, otherwise, don't blame the Ming Dynasty for being rude to their grassland tribes in the future.

Jinang expressed his willingness to try his best to persuade his younger brother Altan.

Dudu!

Dudu!

Then, the sound of suona began.

Zhu Houcong also returned to the palace accompanied by Prime Minister Yang Yiqing and eunuch Qin Wen of the Imperial Household Department.

The imperial guards marched northward one after another to the sound of suona.

The Big Dipper flags, the Sun and Moon flags, and the Five-Colored flags began to flutter in the spring breeze and move northward.

And under these flags were teams of Ming army officers and soldiers.

These officers and soldiers either pushed chariots loaded with guns and cannons, or carried their own muskets, or lifted heavy muskets weighing more than 20 kilograms, or held spears in both hands. They walked through the city gate and headed for the northern road, and as they walked, they gradually disappeared behind the horizon.

Under the shining sun, the entire team looked like a giant black dragon with the red sun on its head.

Zhu Houcong also took a look at his army on his way back to the palace.

And suddenly, he could not help but stop on the city wall leading back to the palace, put his hands on his hips, and looked at the army for a while.

Yang Yiqing and others also stopped and looked at the troops.

The officers and soldiers who formed the giant black dragon also kept looking back at the emperor on the city wall.

Because the emperor wearing purple and gold armor and a golden helmet with red tassels is indeed eye-catching, as conspicuous as the sun in the east.

So, no one doesn’t want to take a closer look, and just one look will make you feel energized.

At least this was the feeling that Yu Dayou, who left with this army and was transferred to become the deputy general of the Shenji Camp, had at that time.

Yu Dayou, who was less than 30 years old, was full of vigor and ambition.

He was also willing to believe that the young emperor on the high platform at this moment would have the same ambitions as him, and he was willing to shed his blood for this emperor and for this ambition.

Jinang, who was also in the team and was still guarded by the Jinyiwei, watched this scene with a complicated expression and glanced at the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty on the city wall many times.

He was quite envious and admired the emperor.

Because they were both about the same age, in their twenties, but the other party was already able to control such a huge empire and build such a large and powerful armored army. Although he was a noble on the grassland, he was unable to unify the entire Tatar before he was captured.

He couldn't help but wonder, if he were the emperor, would he be able to revitalize this empire?

He asked himself if he could do it.

Although he was not from the Ming Dynasty, he had been trying to understand everything about this empire since he was a child.

He asked himself that he understood his empire better than many of the Ming Dynasty's own powerful bureaucrats.

After all, as a grassland noble, he has always had a wish, which is to re-establish the glory of the former Yuan Dynasty.

Therefore, Jinang was well aware of how difficult it was to revive this empire more than 150 years after its founding.

But what he saw now was that the empire was indeed regaining its strength after the Ming emperor ascended the throne.

Because he could feel a kind of vitality from the mental outlook of these soldiers going to the expedition, and a kind of thriving hope from the excited expressions of officials and civilians in the city.

Therefore, Jinang couldn't help but think again of the new scholar who had competed with him - Tang Shunzhi.

A newly-minted scholar can demonstrate great martial arts skills.

Jinang could no longer insist that the country was peaceful and prosperous, but had to admit that the people of the empire might really be beginning to change under the rule of the new emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Houcong also thought of Tang Shunzhi at this time.

Because Gui E, who had not yet stepped down from the post of Left Censor-in-Chief, presented him with a list of new Jinshi who had registered to be the Qing Army Censor and Trial Censor.

Therefore, Zhu Houcong instructed Gui E: "Since the newly-appointed Jinshi Tang Shunzhi has made great contributions to the court and defeated Jinang's challenge, he should be directly promoted to the position of Datong Qing Army Censor and Tour Censor, and he should go to Datong to continue to promote the inspection of military households and military fields."

Gui E bowed and agreed.

Yang Yiqing was slightly startled at this moment, and he could not help but be more convinced that Tang Shunzhi might have been the emperor's man. It didn't take long for Tang Shunzhi to receive the imperial edict and the documents from the Metropolitan Procuratorate that he was promoted to the position of Datong Qing Army Censor and Tour Censor.

Normally, a newly-appointed Jinshi could only serve as a trial censor first.

But now the emperor directly promoted him to be the censor.

Tang Shunzhi was naturally very excited about this.

And next, Tang Shunzhi also set out for Datong.

Together with him were new Jinshi such as Ge Shouli who was sent as the Imperial Examination Censor.

Ge Shouli and other newly-appointed Jinshi were naturally envious of Tang Shunzhi for being able to get the opportunity to be promoted, and they couldn't help but secretly hate themselves for not practicing martial arts while studying.

At the same time, they could not help but start writing letters to remind their children to strengthen their martial arts training while not abandoning their liberal arts studies.

Tang Shunzhi and other newly appointed Qing army censors and trial censors left the capital, and many wealthy families were naturally not in a good mood about this.

Because they knew that this meant that the verification of military households and military fields would not stop because of the murder and beating of individual Qing military censors and trial censors, and the Ming Emperor Zhu Houcong obviously had no shortage of young officials willing to verify military households and military fields for him.

However, these wealthy and powerful people could only watch helplessly as these new Qing army censors and trial censors, together with the government troops heading north, continued to do things they did not want to see, and they were powerless to do anything.

They really wanted to have their people pretend to be bandits and kill these people, and they also wanted to set traps to entrap them along the way.

But now, the emperor not only allows the court to have the financial resources to deploy patrol officers and soldiers in all towns and villages, but also uses the imperial examination as a weapon to force local gentry to cooperate with the government to ensure local public security. Once an imperial envoy is killed in a local area, not only will the local bureaucrats be blamed, but the local people will also be directly punished based on the imperial examination.

Therefore, these wealthy gentry could only watch coldly as these new Qing army censors and trial censors went to various garrisons.

Just like they had to watch coldly as their royal guards went north to stop the Tatars.

They now had to endure the pain brought about by the strengthening of imperial power, that is, the pain of not being able to wantonly annex local areas, not being able to evade taxes, not being able to bully the market, and not being able to abuse their power.

Li Jin, who rebelled against Altan Khan, did not want to endure all this pain, so he took the initiative to lead Altan Khan to the south to plunder Datong.

After he defected to Altan Khan, he kept instigating Altan Khan to go south to plunder Datong, and said that he knew very well where the border wall in the Datong area had collapsed. He also told Altan Khan the strengths and weaknesses of the nine borders, and encouraged Altan to take this opportunity to go directly into the capital to plunder the population, and then bring them back to the grassland, develop agriculture, train more soldiers and horses, and prepare for the future restoration of the Yuan Dynasty.

"It's just a pity that the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty has already ordered the construction of an outer city in the capital. Therefore, even if we can penetrate into the capital through Datong, it will be difficult for us to plunder Zhu Houcong's most loyal people."

At this time, when Li Jin was accompanying Altan to Datong in the south, he told Altan about the invasion of the Ming Dynasty and also mentioned that Zhu Houcong had already built an outer city.

After hearing this, Altan couldn't help but frown and asked, "Why do you say they are the most loyal people to the Emperor of Ming?"

"The Khan doesn't know that when Emperor Jiajing came to Beijing to be the emperor, he actively helped refugees along the way, which led many refugees to seek refuge with him, including some wealthy people who were not refugees."

"This meant that when he ascended the throne, there were more than 200,000 people who were related to him and not controlled by the powerful families."

"From now on, these people will be directly dependent on him, the emperor, for food. Won't they become his most loyal population?"

"If it weren't for these people, Yang Xindu wouldn't have taken the initiative to give up power."

"In addition, if it weren't for these people, Zhu Houcong would not have been able to build the outer city."

Li Jin said.

After hearing this, Altan fell into deep thought.

Not a moment later.

Altan suddenly asked Li Jin: "Do you think the emperor of the Ming Dynasty is a powerful emperor? Put aside your resentment and look at it objectively."

Li Jin smiled awkwardly: "Of course he is! But he is far inferior to you, Khan!"

"nonsense!"

"I don't like to hear flattery!"

"In my opinion, your great Ming emperor is far wiser than me."

"If I were him, I would not be able to force Yang Tinghe to abdicate as soon as I arrived in Beijing, and I would not be able to quickly build an outer city for an empire with an empty treasury!"

"His imperial strategy is truly impressive."

"Because even I myself, even a year ago, never thought of relying on you guys to plunder the capital, but when he ascended the throne, seven years ago, he thought of guarding against you guys, preventing you from colluding with us to plunder his capital."

"His planning was so far-reaching that, before he came to Beijing, he used the excuse of helping refugees to force Yang Tinghe to abdicate. This is just as admirable!"

"With an emperor like this, I can only temporarily give up my intention to rule your Central Plains!"

"do you understand?"

As Altan said this, his brows furrowed even more tightly, and he looked towards the mountains at the end of the grassland. (End of this chapter)