My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 152 The Ming Dynasty is about to perish!

To be honest, this figure far exceeded the expectations of the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet.

After all, in previous years, the annual salt tax was only a few million taels of silver, but now the salt tax collected in three days is more than that of the previous year.

And this is only the silver received in the capital. Once the news of the salt tax reform spreads throughout the country, big merchants from all over the country will come to the capital to pay salt tax and deposit.

They simply couldn't imagine how much tax they would receive by then!
This is beneficial to the entire Ming Dynasty, so the cabinet is so determined to implement commercial tax reform.

On this day, Zhu Cilang had nothing to do, so he went to the Imperial Stables with Chongzhen to practice riding and shooting, which was also a way to stretch his muscles.

The father and son galloped on the horse field until they were exhausted and out of breath. Then they stopped and chatted.

As they chatted, the topic turned to the important matter of the emperor personally leading the army.

Chongzhen frowned slightly and said thoughtfully:
"As the saying goes, food and fodder must be prepared before troops move. Isn't it time to have the Ministry of Revenue prepare food and fodder now?"

Zhu Cilang had naturally considered this kind of thing early on, but he wanted to wait for news from Zheng Zhilong before making preparations, so he did not take any action for the time being.

But if you think about it carefully, what Chongzhen said is actually not wrong. It is always better to prepare things like food and fodder early.

During the previous two expeditions, they either replenished food and fodder along the way, or only carried food and fodder for three to five days, and then found other ways to replenish it after arriving at the destination.

But the situation this time is different from the past, because this time we are going to Liaodong, and according to the plan, we have to bring at least 50,000 troops.

For such a large team, the amount of food and fodder needed for both people and horses along the way is not a small number.

It is simply impossible to ask the counties along the way to take on the responsibility of supplying food and fodder. After all, the area from Beijing to Liaodong is vast and sparsely populated, and it is very desolate. There are not many counties and people at all.

Although Zhu Cilang could also exchange food and fodder directly from the system, it seemed unrealistic for 50,000 people to go on the expedition with nothing and rely entirely on him to exchange through the system!

In this case, let’s arrange the food and fodder matters in advance!

Thinking of this, Zhu Cilang nodded and said:

"Father is right, we should prepare food and fodder first!"

So Zhu Cilang immediately gave orders to summon the Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu to the Imperial Stables to see the emperor.

After spending these days together, Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, father and son, have reconciled and their relationship has become much more harmonious, so Chongzhen no longer needs to avoid suspicion as before.

Not long after, the Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu received the imperial edict. He did not dare to delay for even a moment and hurried to the Imperial Stables as ordered.

"I pay my respects to your majesty and the crown prince."

When he saw Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang, Ni Yuanlu hurriedly saluted respectfully.

At the same time, he began to have doubts in his heart, and a bad premonition came to his mind.

His intuition told him that the two gentlemen got together today and that they must have something important to announce to him.

He now only hoped that it was not because of the commercial tax. After all, the distribution ratio of the commercial tax had been negotiated before. If Chongzhen and Zhu Cilang wanted to go back on their word now, he would never agree!
As expected, after Ni Yuanlu stood up, Chongzhen said in a serious tone:

"Lord Ni, I have something to tell you. This matter concerns the safety of our Ming Dynasty. You must do your best and not be careless in the slightest!"

When Ni Yuanlu heard this, his expression suddenly changed, and he quickly replied solemnly:

"Your Majesty, please speak. I will do my best, even if it means death!"

Chongzhen then continued:

"The war situation in Liaodong is becoming increasingly tense. This war concerns the safety of our Ming Dynasty. Therefore, after careful consideration, I have decided to lead the army to Liaodong in person."

"And the food and supplies needed along the way need to be allocated by the Ministry of Revenue as soon as possible!"

When Ni Yuanlu heard this, he was completely stunned and looked at Chongzhen with an expression of extreme shock.

Not
A personal expedition?

Chongzhen actually wanted to lead the army in person?
What is this?

You know, the emperor of the Ming Dynasty had not led an army to war in person for more than a hundred years. Why did Chongzhen suddenly do this?

Moreover, in Ni Yuanlu's opinion, Chongzhen did not seem like the kind of emperor who could lead an army in person and command thousands of troops on the battlefield!
After all, just a few months ago, Chongzhen was being fooled by those treacherous ministers and nobles in the court!

How come it’s only been a short while and he’s already leading the army in person?
For a moment, Ni Yuanlu felt his mind was in a mess and he was in a daze.

After finally coming to his senses, he quickly knelt on the ground with a plop and anxiously dissuaded:
"Your Majesty! I think this is absolutely unacceptable! Liaodong is extremely cold, and right now it's in the midst of war. If Your Majesty were to lead the army in person and be on the front lines, accidents would inevitably occur!"

"If something like the Tumu Incident happens again, then the Ming Dynasty will be destroyed! I hope Your Majesty will think twice before acting!"

Ni Yuanlu was really frightened by Chongzhen's idea. The Ming Dynasty had just reformed commercial taxes and the country was slowly getting back on track, but Chongzhen insisted on going on a personal expedition.

In this kind of situation, one should be prepared for the worst. If Chongzhen really had another Tumu Incident, the Ming Dynasty would really be destroyed!

When Chongzhen heard this, he was so angry that his face turned red, and he couldn't help cursing in his heart:
You old thing, I'm standing right in front of you, and you dare to say in front of me that the Ming Dynasty is going to perish. You really want to die!

But on second thought, Ni Yuanlu's words were indeed spoken out of loyalty, and he was sincerely considering himself and the Ming Dynasty.

So Chongzhen suppressed his anger and said patiently:

"My dear, there's no need to worry. This isn't an impulsive move. I've thought this over and over again, carefully and thoughtfully."

"Furthermore, I have already made plans for the current war situation in Liaodong."

As Chongzhen spoke, he told Zhu Cilang all of his previous plans for the situation in Liaodong.

Ni Yuanlu didn't care at first and was only thinking about persuading Chongzhen not to lead the army in person.

But as he listened, his expression suddenly changed.

Then he looked at Chongzhen with an extremely surprised look.

Because he knew very well that if Chongzhen's plans were really implemented, then the Ming Dynasty might really be able to defeat the Jiannu in one fell swoop and drive them back to their homeland in Liaodong!
This is something I have dreamed of for many years.

But Ni Yuanlu thought again and felt that something was not right.

Based on his understanding of Chongzhen, it was impossible for such a plan to be thought up by Chongzhen himself.

If Chongzhen really had this kind of brain, how could he have been fooled by those ministers and nobles before?
At this moment, Ni Yuanlu seemed to suddenly realize something, his eyes turned inadvertently, and then he looked at Zhu Cilang who was standing aside and had not spoken a word.

In an instant, Ni Yuanlu made a judgment in his mind.

His intuition told him that this plan was most likely thought up by the prince.
For a moment, Ni Yuanlu felt a mixture of emotions.

On the one hand, he really admired Zhu Cilang's foresight and extraordinary wisdom. After all, such a brilliant plan is not something that ordinary people can come up with.

This shows that the prince indeed has extraordinary talents and will definitely become a wise ruler in the future!
On the other hand, he really didn't want Chongzhen to lead the army in person.

After all, no matter how good the plans are now, they may not be useful once they are on the battlefield, because there are too many things that are difficult to control on the battlefield.

It is possible that an insignificant decision can change the final success or failure of this war!
But then again, since Chongzhen was able to tell him this matter, it was obvious that he had already made up his mind.

Even if he, the Minister of Revenue, objects, it’s useless!
If he insisted on opposing Chongzhen's personal expedition, the final result would be a replacement for the Minister of Revenue.

He doesn't care about his current official position, but the Ming Dynasty is now implementing a new commercial tax reform. If another Minister of Revenue is appointed, will that person support the commercial tax reform as fully as he does?
Maybe?

But Ni Yuanlu didn't dare to gamble!

Besides, as the Minister of Revenue, wouldn’t he want to accomplish something earth-shattering in his lifetime?

After finishing this task, he can finally retire with honor!
By then, he will definitely have a place in the history books of the Ming Dynasty!
Thinking of this, Ni Yuanlu no longer had the same strong opposition as before, but there was still a hint of hesitation on his face.

Chongzhen looked at Ni Yuanlu's hesitant expression, and understood his concerns, so he spoke again:
"Lord Ni, I know you are worried about my safety, but I have made up my mind to go on this expedition. Moreover, with such a perfect plan, we will surely achieve a great victory!"

"You don't need to say anything more. Just focus on preparing food and supplies."

After hearing what Chongzhen said, Ni Yuanlu finally made up his mind.

He then bowed respectfully and said:
"Since Your Majesty has made this decision, I will not say anything. I will do my utmost to ensure the supply of food and fodder."

"I just hope Your Majesty will be careful. There are many variables on the battlefield, and we must be on guard."

Chongzhen nodded slightly and said with a look of satisfaction:

"I understand your intentions, my dear Lord. I will proceed with caution. Please make the arrangements as soon as possible."

"Also, don't tell anyone else about this for now. I'll announce it when the time is right!"

Ni Yuanlu hurriedly bowed again.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I understand!"

After saying this, Ni Yuanlu bowed deeply to Zhu Cilang again, then retreated and began to prepare for the relevant matters of food and grass supply.

Looking at Ni Yuanlu's departing back, Zhu Cilang smiled slightly.

Because from what he had just observed, he also understood that Ni Yuanlu must have realized something.

But in the current situation, it no longer matters.

Now that the troops, food and fodder have been arranged, we just have to wait and see the battle situation on Zheng Zhilong's side.

As long as Zheng Zhilong can successfully destroy the Jiannu navy, he can start the next plan!
At the same time, in Bohai, the Ming Navy.

The wind was howling on the sea and the waves were surging.

Huang Fei, commander-in-chief of the Northeast Navy, was standing steadily on the bow of the ship at this moment.

He was wearing a bright silver armor that gleamed brightly in the sunlight, and the sea breeze blew his cloak wildly, making a rustling sound.

At this moment, he was staring closely at the Jiannu navy not far away.

After a moment, realizing that the distance was almost there, he took a deep breath and then suddenly raised his voice, his voice like a huge bell:

"fire!"

Instantly, the roar of cannonballs rang out, like rolling thunder on a summer day, rippling the surface of the sea. Countless shells were instantly fired from the Ming navy, charging towards the Jiannu navy with unstoppable momentum.

The gunners in the cabin were all sweating profusely. Amidst the thick smoke, they skillfully loaded ammunition and adjusted gun positions.

At the same time, the Jiannu navy did not show any weakness and also fired back.

For a moment, the sound of artillery fire was intertwined on the sea, and flames shot into the sky. The two sides instantly started to compete with each other, fighting back and forth, neither giving in.

Artillery shells from both sides whizzed across the sky. Some fell into the sea, stirring up towering water columns, while others hit the ship directly, sending wood chips flying and soldiers screaming.

After several rounds of artillery fire, the sea was filled with smoke, as if covered by a thick fog. The pungent smell of gunpowder filled the air, making it suffocating.

After this round of shelling, many ships on both sides suffered heavy damage, and some even sank to the bottom of the sea.

Many sailors and soldiers also fell into the water and struggled to survive in the icy sea water.

Seeing this, Huang Fei ordered people to rescue without saying a word.

Countless small boats instantly scattered in all directions and rescued the sailors and soldiers who fell into the water.

After doing all this, Huang Fei once again issued the order to retreat.

Immediately afterwards, the Ming navy began to retreat.

But surprisingly, when the Jiannu navy saw the Ming navy led by Huang Fei retreating, they had no intention of pursuing them. Instead, they went to rescue the sailors and soldiers who fell into the water in an orderly manner.

At this time, the commander-in-chief leading the Jiannu navy was none other than Kong Youde, who had defected from the Ming Dynasty.

Back then, Mao Wenlong was killed by Yuan Chonghuan, and not long after, Kong Youde led his troops to defect to the Jiannu.

To show his loyalty, he also handed over the Ming army's firearms and shipbuilding technology as his "token of surrender."

These precious technologies were like treasures to the Jiannu, and directly helped them to form their own firearms units and navy.

Originally, the Jiannu Navy and the Ming Navy lived in peace on a daily basis. The Jiannu Navy was afraid of the powerful strength of the Ming Navy and rarely took the initiative to invade the coastal cities of the Ming Dynasty.

But since last year, in order to better capture Jinzhou, Huang Taiji issued an order to let the Jiannu navy block the Ming navy from transporting grain to Jinzhou from the sea.

Because of Huang Taiji's order, conflicts broke out from time to time between the Ming Navy and the Jiannu Navy.

In recent times, the Ming navy led by Huang Fei has frequently harassed the Jiannu navy for unknown reasons.

There were even several times when the ships approached within a few nautical miles of the Jiannu navy.

Standing on the shore, you can see the sails of the Ming Dynasty navy just by looking up.

The scene was truly eye-catching, and it made Kong Youde feel uneasy, so he didn't dare to relax at all.

At the beginning, Kong Youde was smart enough to think that the Ming Dynasty was going to transport grain to Jinzhou by sea, so he sent Huang Fei to disrupt their sight.

For this purpose, Kong Youde specially sent people to sea for reconnaissance.

But in the end, he didn't even see a ship carrying grain. He became even more confused and had no idea what the Ming navy was going to do.

After all, he knew in his heart that Huang Fei had always been resourceful and full of tricks, as could be seen from past confrontations.

Therefore, even though Huang Fei came to provoke him repeatedly, he was determined not to take the initiative to attack. Each time, he only fought with Huang Fei a few times before calling off the attack.

After all, at this moment, the Ming army and the Jiannu were fighting fiercely in Jinzhou, and the situation was extremely tense.

As long as he could guard this sea area and prevent the Ming army from transporting grain to Jinzhou by sea, it would be a great achievement.

But then again, this Jiannu navy was not actually completely under his control.

It is not known whether Huang Taiji did not trust him or had other plans, but he insisted on assigning a deputy general to him.

This deputy general was none other than Aisin Gioro Abai, the son of Nurhaci and the brother of Huang Taiji.

Abai was a typical rough man, with a burly figure and a face full of flesh. He only thought about fighting all day long and knew nothing about military strategies.

However, naval combat does not occur every day. Most of the time, it is a long standoff.

Sometimes, even if the two sides go to war, it is just artillery attacking each other, and there will be no real fighting with swords and guns.

This made Abai very frustrated. He became more and more irritable, like an enraged beast, and would fly into a rage at the slightest thing that didn't go his way.

During this period of time, every time he saw the Ming navy coming to provoke and Kong Youde ordered not to pursue them, Abai would be furious.

In his heart, he cursed Kong Youde for being a coward and felt that he had missed a great opportunity to fight.

So when Kong Youde ordered a retreat again this time, Abai could no longer suppress his warlike desire.

He swung the whip in his hand, strode up to Kong Youde, and shouted in a rough voice:

"Kong Youde, what do you mean? Why don't you order a pursuit?"

Kong Youde glanced at him, his eyes revealing a hint of contempt and helplessness, and snorted coldly:

"General Abai, you've seen that the Ming army has retreated. Our goal has been achieved. Why chase them?"

When Abai heard this, he suddenly raised his voice, as if to burst Kong Youde's eardrums:

"What nonsense are you talking about! The Ming navy has come to provoke us time and time again, blowing up several of our ships and killing many brave men. How can we just let them go like this? How can we just let them go like this?"

As he roared, he pointed at the Ming navy that was gradually moving away in the distance, his eyes full of anger.

Kong Youde patiently explained:
"The Ming army is cunning and treacherous. This might be a trick to lure the enemy. We must not fall for it."

"Besides, the Emperor has previously instructed us that we only need to defend this sea area and prevent the Ming army from transporting grain to Jinzhou by sea. We have been doing this well so far, so why would we invite unnecessary trouble?"

Kong Youde tried to calm Abai down and make him understand the stakes involved.

After all, this guy's identity is there.

When Abai heard this, he was dissatisfied and said with a curled lip:
"Don't talk nonsense to me. I think you still miss the Ming Dynasty in your heart and don't want to fight the Ming army to the death."

When Kong Youde heard this, his anger suddenly flared up.

Given his current situation, if he were caught by the Ming Dynasty, he would definitely be dead and would be cut into pieces!
Kong Youde was very angry that Abai still doubted him even though he had done so much for the Jiannu.

But when he thought of Abai's identity, Kong Youde could only suppress his anger and said through gritted teeth:

"Abai, don't forget, I'm the commander-in-chief of the navy. I have the final say on matters here. If you're dissatisfied, go find the emperor!"

When Abai heard this, although he was unwilling, he also knew that Huang Taiji had instructed that matters concerning the navy had to be under the control of Kong Youde, and even though he was Huang Taiji's brother, he could not make decisions on his own.

Then, Abai snorted coldly, turned around and tried to leave with an unhappy look on his face.

But at this moment, someone suddenly shouted loudly:

"Look, sir, the Ming army is coming again!"

The voice was full of fear and urgency.

When Kong Youde heard this, he frowned and was very puzzled.

Not
Why is the Ming navy back again after just finishing a battle?

He raised his head and looked at the sea.

Wow, I saw hundreds of ships on the sea not far away, rushing towards this side like a surging steel torrent.

Seeing this, Kong Youde felt helpless and could only sigh and then order his troops to fight.

The navies of both sides were of comparable size, and their commanders were equally matched opponents, so it was difficult to tell who was better for a while.

After a fierce bombardment, dozens of ships on both sides were damaged. The sailors were busy putting out fires and plugging leaks, and the scene was in chaos.

The Ming army used the same old trick again, quickly withdrawing after the battle and quickly disappearing on the sea level with the help of the sea breeze.

Although Kong Youde was very unhappy, he could only order his troops to retreat temporarily, then reorganize the team and prepare to deal with the next changes.

But at this moment, someone else came running to report in a panic.

"My Lord, this is bad! General Abai is chasing us with dozens of ships!"

When Kong Youde heard this, he was so angry that he almost fainted and his face turned pale in an instant.

He looked up and saw that on the sea, dozens of large ships were chasing towards the Ming army, like an enraged bull, rushing forward desperately.

Kong Youde was so angry that he gritted his teeth. At this moment, he really wanted to watch Abai die.

But when he thought about Abai's identity, if he really did not help him and Huang Taiji found out, he would be in big trouble.

In desperation, he could only grit his teeth and order:
"Chase him quickly, you must bring him back to me!"

Immediately, a large number of ships began to chase after them.

As for Huang Fei, he had already retreated, but suddenly saw the Jiannu ships chasing him.

Huang Fei felt as if he had seen the prey he had been waiting for for a long time. He was so happy that he almost cheered out loud:

Here you come, I’ve finally got you here!

In the past two months, he frequently harassed the Jiannu navy, pretending to be defeated each time, hoping to lure the Jiannu navy out so that Zheng Zhilong, who was ambushing in the surrounding waters, could attack him from the front and back and annihilate the Jiannu navy in one fell swoop.

But who would have thought that the Jiannu navy was so cunning that they were not fooled at all. They just bombarded him every time and retreated after the battle, not giving them any chance to take advantage.

This made Huang Fei extremely anxious, and Zheng Zhilong's navy was almost bored to death. The sailors had nothing to do all day and could only fight on the ship to pass the time.

But I didn’t expect that for some reason today, the Jiannu navy would take the initiative to catch up.

This immediately made Huang Fei very excited!

Because he knew that victory or defeat might depend on today!
(End of this chapter)