Fu Shanhe

Chapter 291 Political Aftermath
“Your Majesty, these corpses are all high-ranking officials of the pseudo-dynasty.

Those on the left are nobles of the pseudo-dynasty, those on the right are civil officials of the pseudo-dynasty, and those in the middle are royal family members of the pseudo-dynasty.

All the six ministers of the pseudo-dynasty, the Duke of Chu, and the Earl of Wudu who resisted stubbornly in Nanjing were included in it.

Do you think it would be appropriate to behead him in public?"

Hu Yuzhe introduced it slightly awkwardly.

It is not easy to be a traitor. When you see these loyal and righteous people who died for their country, you will inherently feel inferior to them.

Only he himself knows the pain deep in his heart.

If possible, he didn't want to be the one who took advantage of someone's misfortune.

However, among the high-ranking officials of the Holy White Lotus Kingdom, he was the only surrendered minister who had met these important officials.

To show his loyalty, he had to advocate severe punishment for these people.

Even if it's just a corpse, we still can't let it go.

"Although these people are stubborn and uneasy, they are all loyal and righteous people after all, so we will arrange for them to be buried with honor.

To shock people, we will select a few notorious captives and behead them for public display."

Fu Haoxuan shook his head and said.

Rewarding loyal ministers is something that rulers of all dynasties must do.

The stage is set, so naturally we have to perform.

From the moment he entered Nanjing, he was no longer a self-proclaimed king, but one of the princes who had the opportunity to compete for power.

Military means alone are not enough, we must also learn to use political means.

"Your Majesty, your kindness and righteousness are unparalleled..."

Hu Yuzhe immediately started to flatter him.

Even though he knew his role was unlikable, he had no choice but to continue playing it.

To highlight Fu Haoxuan's benevolence and righteousness, political showmanship alone is not enough, and supporting roles are needed to set off the character.

Fu Haoxuan's direct descendants are not suitable for this job.

The other surrendered ministers had just surrendered and did not have a high status in the small court or enough political weight.

The clown role can only be played by Hu Yuzhe.

While building momentum for Fu Haoxuan, he also tried to undermine the reputation of the Dayu Dynasty by comparing him with the surrendered officials, highlighting the justification of rebellion.

……

Capital.

When the tragic news of the fall of Nanjing came, Emperor Yongning was completely stunned and couldn't help but burst into tears.

Even after the fall of Hangzhou, he was mentally prepared.

But when it really happened, I still couldn't face the reality.

"Your Majesty, it's time to eat."

The imperial eunuch Su Haoyu began to persuade.

In the more than 270 years of history of the Dayu Dynasty, Emperor Yongning's diligence was definitely among the top three.

Even if we look at the entire human history, there are few emperors more diligent than him.

Unfortunately, hard work does not always bring rewards, and the situation in the world continues to deteriorate day by day.

"I can't eat anymore, please leave first!"

"Have the ministers arrived yet?"

Emperor Yongning asked, trying hard to suppress his grief.

The fall of Nanjing was such a major event that the emperor could not handle it alone.

Although he was very dissatisfied with the ministers in the court, he still had to let them handle problems when they arose.

"Your Majesty, all the officials above the third rank in the capital, as well as the noble princes, are waiting outside."

Su Haoyu said slowly.

Faced with such a difficult situation, not only the emperor panicked, but also the civil and military officials, as well as the royal family and nobles.

The Dayu Dynasty practiced a dual capital system, and the fall of Nanjing had extremely bad political impacts.

With the White Lotus rebels wreaking havoc in the south and the grassland coalition forces rampaging in the north, the Dayu Dynasty has reached a very dangerous situation.

If we are not careful, the dynasty will change.

Anyone with a little historical knowledge knows that every change of dynasties is filled with blood and gore.

As vested interests, it was almost inevitable that they would be purged by the new dynasty.

"Bring them in!"

Emperor Yongning waved his hand and said.

There are no secrets in the Dayu Dynasty, and the news of the fall of Nanjing will spread throughout the world in no time.

The imperial court must come up with a response plan as soon as possible to minimize the adverse effects of the fall of Nanjing.

"According to the order!"

After saying that, Su Haoyu turned around and went out, bringing everyone over.

"Give me a seat!"

After saying this habitually, Emperor Yongning immediately realized that he had spoken out of turn.

There were so many people attending the meeting that the small inner hall was filled to the brim and there was no room for chairs.

"Officials from the Cabinet, the Six Ministries, and the Governor's Office will stay. Su Haoyu will take the others to the side hall to rest first."

Emperor Yongning immediately spoke up to remedy the situation.

Summoning so many officials was a decision made in a panic and without thinking.

More people does not necessarily mean more power, but it does mean more problems.

Once there is a difference of position and the argument starts, there will be no end.

Under normal circumstances, such a life-threatening matter should be decided in a small meeting.

"My lords, please!"

After making a gesture, Su Haoyu led the way directly in front.

After being tricked, everyone looked at each other and left the inner hall reluctantly.

They finally made it into the highest decision-making circle, but were eliminated before the meeting even started.

I feel unhappy, but I have to bear it.

Everyone knew that the emperor was in a very bad mood.

If you cause trouble at this time, you will lose your head.

"Your Majesty, all six ministers of Nanjing died for their country. Please grant them posthumous titles!"

After watching everyone leave, Prime Minister Wan Junhui spoke first.

In the past two years, the civil servants had lost so much points that even he, the prime minister who came from a civil service background, could not stand it.

The civil service group needs to bear the main responsibility for the growth of the White Lotus rebels.

Affected by this, the military generals who had been suppressed by them for a long time have recently shown signs of rising again.

First, the voice of the noble group increased, and then Liaodong Town was out of control.

It has continued until now, and the six ministers of Nanjing have all died for their country, which finally turned the situation around for them.

“Prime Minister, it wasn’t just the six ministers who died for their country. Many members of the royal family and nobles also died with the city of Nanjing.

I propose that the court reward these loyal and righteous people!"

Duke Chengguo Jingguoliang immediately responded.

He had no objection to commending the six ministers who died for their country.

The defense of Nanjing has lasted until now, and the defenders have done their best.

The main officials in charge of defending Nanjing all died for their country after the city was captured, which further demonstrated their integrity.

But everyone has lost someone, so we definitely can’t let the civil servants take all the credit.

If we want to carry out political propaganda, we must do it together.

"Lord Jing, your words make sense. I'll leave this matter of the Ministry of Rites to you."

Emperor Yongning made a prompt decision.

Of course he understands the way of balance.

Although he often fails to play, it does not affect his love of playing with balance.

It seems that this is a proposal for a posthumous title, but in fact it is a dispute for the right to speak.

There is no doubt that civil officials have an advantage in this regard. The Ministry of Rites is responsible for drafting posthumous titles, so they will definitely take care of their own people.

Even if they are all honorific titles, there are different levels.

Jing Guoliang wanted to speak, but when he saw Emperor Yongning's impatient look, he swallowed his words back.

At times like this, we need to stick together and we really shouldn't get bogged down in these details.

At least there is no way to find fault with it before the posthumous title is announced.

"According to the order!"

The Minister of Rites responded immediately.

These are their duties, and they have to do them with or without the emperor's order.

In order to commend loyalty and righteousness, according to the Dayu law, after an official died for his country, the court would be responsible for his funeral, and those with great contributions would be given posthumous titles.

Of course, officials who are responsible for the defeat will definitely not enjoy these treatments.

“Your Majesty, Nanjing is of great significance and the court must take it back as soon as possible.

If the delay lasts too long, I am afraid people’s hearts will change.”

Cabinet minister Gu Jiaxi made a suggestion.

He didn't know how to take back Nanjing, but Nanjing had to be recovered.

If the invasion of the northern barbarians tore apart the dignity of the Great Yu Dynasty, then the fall of Nanjing marked the change of dynasties in the world.

Losing the hearts of the people is more serious than losing a city or a territory.

If the imperial court cannot retake Nanjing as soon as possible and stabilize people's hearts in time, then a change of dynasty will be imminent.

All the ministers present will be held responsible for this matter and bear the eternal infamy.

No one could accept such an ending.

Although everyone was not considered a famous official, at least they fulfilled their duties.

They are all responsible for the collapse of the world situation, but they should definitely not bear the primary responsibility.

Compared with the treacherous ministers in history, they can all be considered good kids.

At most, he would occasionally fool the emperor and make some money, but he never did anything to betray his ancestors.

"Ministry of War, do you have any plan?"

Wan Yuxuan was not at all happy when he was named by Emperor Yongning.

Being valued is a good thing, but at a time like this, he would rather not be valued.

The problem of the invasion from the northern barbarians has not been solved yet, and then came the fall of Nanjing.

The Ministry of War is not omnipotent, and when formulating combat plans, they must also be based on actual conditions.

Although their previous strategies were mostly fanciful, they were also supported by theories.

"Your Majesty, this matter requires long-term consideration.

The northern barbarians had tied up too many of the imperial court's troops, and the number of troops that could go south to retake Nanjing in a short period of time was very limited.

The most urgent task is to let the state capitals near the rebels prepare to hold their ground.

Only after the war in the north ended did the imperial court have the energy to recapture Nanjing.

Compared with the army, what the court lacks most now is money and food.

If the money and grain can be allocated in time, then it is not impossible to immediately organize the recovery of Nanjing. "

I would rather die than let my friend die. At the critical moment, Wan Yuxuan decisively chose to pass the blame.

"Tobe."

As soon as Emperor Yongning finished speaking, Pang Chengjie knew that things were going to get bad.

The Minister of Revenue of the Dayu Dynasty was truly miserable.

Every time there is a problem in the war on the front line, the Ministry of War thinks of them first when it wants to pass the buck.

The reasons were ready: the imperial court owed money and food to the troops below, which affected the combat effectiveness of each army.

"Your Majesty, the court has been at war for years, and the people have been plagued by natural disasters.

Taxes from all over the country simply cannot be collected in a timely manner.

The imperial court was in serious financial deficit and the Ministry of Revenue had long been emptied.

In order to support the expenses of the army that came to support the king, we scraped together money from here and there.

There is really no way to raise more money and food in a short period of time.

Besides, there are northern barbarian cavalry rampaging outside. Even if we collect money and food from the local area, we have no way to transport it back."

Pang Chengjie chooses to practice Tai Chi today.

The Ministry of War blamed the problem on money and grain, but he blamed the problem back.

The garbage destroyed on the battlefield meant that the money and grain from the local areas could not be transported to the capital.

The capital city was under threat from the enemy, and the Ministry of Revenue could only find a way to raise money and grain in the capital.

If you want to make money, there is definitely no shortage of it in the capital.

But if you want to get food, then don't waste your efforts.

All the food in the capital is transported from outside.

After the northern barbarians came, they had no choice but to use the grain stored in the government warehouses to ensure the daily needs of the officials and civilians.

Fortunately, during the previous emperor's reign, the government warehouses in the capital had been overhauled and there was sufficient grain storage.

However, these stored food will not be consumed for long.

If the Northern Tartars really carry out a long-term siege, they can only hold out for half a year at most, and then they will have no choice but to leave the city and fight a decisive battle with the enemy.

"Humph!"

"Your reasons are all very good, so how do you solve the problem?"

Emperor Yongning scolded unhappily.

If no one has any problem, then that becomes his problem as the emperor.

There is no doubt that he does not want to take the blame.

Functional departments are passing the buck to each other, each trying to pass the buck, but no one cares about how to solve the problem.

The impression of civil servants, which had slightly improved due to the sacrifice of Nanjing officials, was suddenly brought back to square one.

It was those people he was familiar with. Before doing anything, the first thing they thought of was how to pass the blame.

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

Seeing the emperor explode, the ministers hurriedly began to persuade him.

After the fall of Nanjing, Emperor Yongning had to go to the Taimiao to apologize, so it was inevitable that he was in a bad mood.

If possible, no one wants to make the emperor angry now.

Mature politicians need to consider many issues. If a young emperor goes berserk, he might kill people.

Who doesn’t have some problems when working in the court?

If the emperor takes things too far, no one will have a good life.

"Since you want me to calm down, then you should come up with a solution for me.

No matter who you are, you must come up with a feasible solution for me today.

If you can’t think of it, just stay in the palace and think about it slowly. I will provide you with food.

Prime Minister, you are the head of all officials, so let me start with you!"

Seeing that Emperor Yongning was serious, the faces of the ministers suddenly turned ugly.

It is really difficult to solve the problem.

"Your Majesty, the war in the north will probably continue for several months, and it will take some time to recapture Nanjing.

But we can’t just do nothing now.

It is a waste of time for the imperial court to directly interfere in local affairs.

I propose that on the basis of forming a militia, we further delegate power to local government offices.

They were allowed to raise their own military funds, form an army to suppress the rebellion, and participate in the encirclement and suppression of the White Lotus rebels.

Anyone who has made great contributions in the war to suppress the rebellion will be granted corresponding official titles by the court according to his merits..."

Wan Junhui replied nervously.

He himself doesn't know whether delegating power can solve the problem.

The only thing that is certain is that after this, the power of local government offices will become unlimited.

(End of this chapter)