The struggle for the throne among nine princes—I really don't want to be the crown prince.

Chapter 496 With His Majesty personally leading the expedition, who will preside over the court?

When Ma Qi excitedly rushed to the entrance of Qianqing Palace, good heavens, it was almost like a vegetable market!

A large crowd had already gathered outside the Qianqing Palace.

Among the familiar faces he knew were Inspector General Chen Tingjing, Minister of Justice Fu Lun, and a whole row of other familiar faces.

Ma Qi's heart was pounding with excitement:

Judging from this, what else could His Majesty have summoned but the heads of the six ministries for but to discuss besides the Crown Prince?

Surely you're not going to invite everyone over for hot pot, are you?
However, no matter how turbulent his heart was, he dared not show it on his face.

Pretending to be nonchalant, she moved closer to Floren and nudged his arm: "Your Majesty summoned us here in such a hurry, is something serious wrong?"

Floren shook his head vigorously: "I don't know either."

"Chai Hetai is a complete idiot. I just asked him a question, and he knew nothing. He's like a wooden stake."

The "Chai He Tai" mentioned by Fu Lun was a second-class palace guard.

Although their positions were not very high, those who could serve as guards in the palace were basically close advisors to the emperor and were highly valued by Emperor Qianxi.

Ma Qi sighed as well: "That's how His Majesty summoned me here with a single order."

"By the way, where are the three Grand Secretaries?"

Floren lowered his voice and said, "When I arrived, I happened to see Lord Tong Guowei being summoned by His Majesty. I guess he's listening to His Majesty's instructions right now."

At this point, Floren glanced around and quietly added, "Looks like... something big is about to happen!"

Florence's voice was soft, and he spoke vaguely.

But Ma Qi understood it immediately.

He sighed in agreement, "Yeah, you're right. Who would have thought that even at this point, they could still..."

Before he could finish speaking, the eunuch Wei Zhu rushed out in a great hurry.

He glanced around twice, then headed straight for Ma Qi:

"Lord Ma, His Majesty is urging you to go in immediately!"

Upon hearing Wei Zhu's words, Ma Qi was overjoyed.

His face remained taut, and he nodded reservedly to his colleagues around him, his eyes seeming to say, "See? In this crucial moment, His Majesty still thinks of me the most!"

However, the moment he stepped into the Qianqing Palace, his expression immediately turned serious.

In any case, His Majesty's decision to change the heir apparent is a major event. If he appears too happy about it, wouldn't that be a bit like gloating?
At this critical juncture, to show joy on one's face would be tantamount to asking for trouble!

So he bowed respectfully and said, "Your subject Ma Qi greets you..."

"Ma Qi, I ask you, how much silver can Taicang and the provincial treasuries still raise?!"

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a barrage of questions from Emperor Qianxi.

Ma Qi's heart skipped a beat. He stole a glance at the people standing around him and had a bad feeling.

Then you see Tong Guowei, Zhang Ying, and Li Guangdi, their faces as black as the bottom of a pot, looking quite unsightly.

broken!

What a big deal!

It's a truly catastrophic event!

But... the direction of the collapse seems a bit off; this time it shouldn't have anything to do with the deposed crown prince.

After all, the deposed crown prince doesn't need to ask how much silver can be raised.

Does His Majesty intend for the Crown Prince to pay out of his own pocket to buy the position?

Moreover, this young master is no ordinary person who is wealthy.

Before his mind could even process what was happening, he had already given the answer:
"Your Majesty, because of the two-pronged attack, most of the court's funds have been allocated to the Ministry of War."

"Now, the combined assets of all the treasuries in Taicang and other regions can raise... about 500,000 taels of silver."

Speaking of this number, Ma Qi felt a little proud.

To be able to raise 500,000 taels of silver so quickly, with such a speed of response and such ability to coordinate, who else in the entire court could do it but me?

Hmph, only I, Ma Qi, can do it!
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi's expression darkened even further.

He knew the Ministry of Revenue was short of funds.

After all, money is needed everywhere during the Lunar New Year, such as paying salaries to officials, various celebrations, and so on...

The Ministry of Revenue hadn't received any silver during this period, so it was normal that they were short of funds.

Moreover, the two armies weren't simply left unattended after setting out; feeding and caring for the people and horses was equally costly.

Emperor Qianxi glanced at Ma Qi but said nothing.

Ma Qi felt a chill run down his spine: What's wrong? Is it too little? Or did I say something wrong?
Just as he was filled with doubt and confusion, Tong Guowei leaned over and whispered, "Lord Ma Qi, the Northern Route Army... fell into an ambush by Arabtan and the Russian Kingdom, and the entire army was wiped out!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Qi's head buzzed for a moment—

Well, it turns out it wasn't a change of prince, but a collapse at the front!

I was wondering why the deposed crown prince didn't have to be chosen for the New Year.

Although he was only the Minister of Revenue, he knew the importance of the Northern Route Army.

If the Northern Route Army is defeated, it will not only be a matter for the snowy region, but may even threaten Shaanxi and Gansu.

If things go wrong, the barriers surrounding the court will be taken over by Arabtan, putting the small court in a dangerous situation.

No wonder Emperor Qianxi summoned me!

So that's what it was all about.

Before he could finish digesting this, Zhang Ying came out and said, "Your Majesty, the snowy region is a barren land, poor and remote. Beyond Shaanxi and Gansu, it is an even more desolate wasteland."

"Whether it was the previous dynasty or a thousand years ago, these regions were basically left to fend for themselves."

“Because these places will not only not bring any benefits to the court, but will even add to its burden.” At this point, Zhang Ying said in a deep voice, “I believe that the army that has marched into the snowy region should be transferred back to Shaanxi and Gansu at this time, so as to guard the heartland.”

Upon hearing Zhang Ying's words, Ma Qi frowned immediately: This old man wants to lie down again!
You can see that what he wants to express is very clear: don't send troops anymore, just defend your own territory.

As for the rest, we’ll talk about it later.

Based on Ma Qi's understanding of Emperor Qianxi, he knew that his own emperor would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.

Emperor Qianxi was a proud man, and even more so, a man determined to be a sage ruler.

It's one thing for a wise ruler not to expand his territory, but if he is also defeated and suffers heavy losses, wouldn't that be a joke?
Emperor Qianxi was not afraid of war throughout his life. He personally led several military campaigns, not to mention sending troops to fight.

Just as Ma Qi had expected, Emperor Qianxi spoke coldly: "Grand Secretary Zhang, if the snowy region is lost, then the enemy's advance will be directed at our heartland."

"By then, not only Shaanxi and Gansu, but also Yunnan and Guizhou may be engulfed in flames of war."

"Do you think our dynasty will follow the example of the previous dynasty and only settle in the Jiangnan region?"

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Zhang Ying quickly bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, that's not what I meant. It's just that the expedition was too arduous and resulted in huge losses."

"The imperial court has spent hundreds of millions of taels of silver on campaigns against Galdan over the years."

"But no sooner had Galdan fallen than his nephew Arabtan rebelled."

"I believe that these leaders on the grasslands are like weeds that can never be cut down. Even if you cut them all down, they will just grow back..."

"When the imperial court runs out of money, it will probably cause an even bigger upheaval and more trouble."

"Your Majesty, please take a closer look!"

Hearing Zhang Ying's confident and eloquent words, Emperor Qianxi's face turned as black as if he could wring water out of it.

Zhang Ying's words were like criticizing a bald man in front of a monk. Weren't you indirectly calling me a "warrior"?

The campaign against Galdan was something Emperor Qianxi had insisted on for many years, and he considered it a great achievement.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Ying spoke of him in such a despicable way!

He even had the urge to kill Zhang Ying, but he also knew he absolutely couldn't.

Because Zhang Ying was a leading figure in the literary world and a big shot in the eyes of the gentry in Jiangnan.

Killing him would cause a change in Jiangnan.

Therefore, no matter how aggrieved Emperor Qianxi felt, he could not kill Zhang Ying.

After glancing at Zhang Ying, Emperor Qianxi said indifferently, "Zhang Ying, there's no use saying any of this now."

“The enemy will definitely not do nothing after annihilating our Northern Route Army; they will definitely advance into Shaanxi and Gansu.”

"Are you going to wait until the enemy besieges Lanzhou before sending troops?"

At this point, he gritted his teeth, skipped over Zhang Ying, and looked at Ma Qi: "This time, the allied forces of Arabtan and Russia have a large number of troops and are powerful."

"If we want to resolve this calamity, we must send out a large army."

"I am preparing to mobilize 300,000 Green Standard Army soldiers for battle. The Ministry of Revenue must guarantee the money and provisions for these Green Standard Army soldiers."

Emperor Qianxi spoke these words in an unquestionable tone.

Upon hearing Emperor Qianxi's words, Ma Qi felt a wave of dizziness and his head was buzzing.

He was a veteran who knew that once an army of 300,000 was mobilized, not to mention the auxiliary troops alone, there would be at least 100,000 to 200,000, not to mention a large number of livestock.

Once troops are deployed, the cost of feeding the people and horses will be enormous!
The cost of just one day was a number that gave him a headache.

"Your Majesty, if Your Majesty is determined, then I have no choice but to increase taxes."

"Only by increasing taxes can we support such a large army to go on an expedition."

At this point, Ma Qi dared not tell Emperor Qianxi that he could not do it; that would be tantamount to throwing his own head into the line of fire.

After all, he was the Minister of Revenue. If he couldn't do this or that, what use was he to Emperor Qianxi?
So he had no choice but to come up with a terrible idea: raise taxes.

Raising taxes seems to be the simplest way to solve the problem of lack of funds.

However, as soon as he said this, Li Guangdi immediately jumped out and said, "Your Majesty, at this time, you must not increase taxes."

"During the previous dynasty, taxes had to be increased because the costs of foreign wars were too high."

"And what was the result? The increased taxes caused bandits to rise up everywhere, ultimately shaking the world."

"Your Majesty, please think twice!"

In fact, even without Li Guang's explanation, Emperor Qianxi knew the consequences of raising taxes.

He certainly knew that raising taxes could lead to a pincer attack from both inside and outside the country.

But where will the money come from if taxes aren't increased? Thinking about it makes my head ache even more!

“Raising taxes is absolutely not an option, but Mazi, you need to think of other solutions.”

Before Ma Qi could object, Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "I don't care what method you use, it must be resolved before the fifteenth of the first lunar month!"

"I...I will personally lead the army into battle!"

Upon hearing this, not only was Ma Qi flustered, but even Tong Guowei became anxious:

"Your Majesty, it is too dangerous for the emperor to lead the army in person. I think it would be better to appoint a minister to lead the troops."

Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment and said, "If I don't personally oversee the 300,000 Green Standard Army troops, who else can mobilize them?"

On the surface, this statement suggests that Emperor Qianxi lacked the talent to command an army of 300,000 men. However, in reality, it reflects Emperor Qianxi's reluctance to entrust such a large army to others.

"But if His Majesty personally leads the campaign, how will the central government function?"

Emperor Qianxi remained silent for a moment, his expression complex.

There were some things he really didn't want to mention, but with this mess right now... it seemed that his rebellious son was indeed an indispensable part of the situation.

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(End of this chapter)