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

Chapter 506 The Only Person in the World Who Can Help His Majesty

Emperor Qianxi also wanted to quell the rebellion in Jiangnan as soon as possible.

But he knew in his heart that mobilizing troops? That was no problem! The key issue was supplies and pay!

Without money and food, we might end up repeating the situation where the front lines are starving while our backyard is on fire.

After listening to Zhang Ying's suggestion, he did not immediately express his opinion, but looked at Li Guangdi: "Guangdi, what's your opinion?"

Li Guangdi quickly chimed in, "Your Majesty, I believe that Chancellor Tong and Chancellor Zhang are right. Jiangnan must not be thrown into chaos!"

"If something happens in Jiangnan, it could have far-reaching consequences!"

"I have been thinking that the treasury in Jiangnan is well-stocked. If we add the salt tax from Lianghuai, the money and grain should be enough for the army to quell the rebellion."

The three scholars were unusually united in their opinion: to bring peace to Jiangnan as soon as possible.

Emperor Qianxi thought so too.

If things really get chaotic in Jiangnan, it's no joke; there could be a huge mess!

Compared to the Northwest, the Jiangnan region was the real money bag and rice bowl for the imperial court!
However, the thought of having to keep the salt tax from Lianghuai in Jiangnan to quell the rebellion made Emperor Qianxi's teeth ache.

He had originally hoped that the salt tax from Lianghuai would make things a little easier next year.

That's great, they've all been sent to Jiangnan!

Despite his heartache, he still made the decision:

"Alright, transfer the salt tax to Jiangnan! Draft an edict promoting Cen Youguang to Governor-General of Liangjiang, to take up his post immediately, and appointing Xu Wenlong, the General of Hangzhou, as commander-in-chief, to mobilize the Green Standard Army around Yingtian Prefecture to suppress the rebels..."

Emperor Qianxi spoke at length in one breath.

The Hanlin scholar serving beside him listened to Emperor Qianxi's instructions while writing several imperial edicts with swift and skillful strokes.

Emperor Qianxi didn't bother to examine it closely. He took a sip of water and dropped another bombshell:
"The General of Lanzhou has sent an urgent report: Alabtan has already besieged Lanzhou. If the imperial court does not send troops soon, Lanzhou will be in danger of falling!"

"I plan to send troops as soon as possible after the Lantern Festival."

"What do you all think, my esteemed subjects?"

Although the situation in Jiangnan had already given Emperor Qianxi a huge headache, he didn't want to give up on the Northwest either.

After all, losing the Northwest would be a huge loss of face.

Tong Guowei and Zhang Ying exchanged a glance, and in the end, Zhang Ying steeled herself and stepped forward to say:

"Your Majesty, I believe it is not the right time to wage a major war against Arabtan."

"The south of the Yangtze River is not yet pacified. If the imperial court raises a large army again, it will be caught in a two-front war."

"Therefore, I believe that it would be better for us to... talk to Alabtan first?"

"I believe that although the Arabtan and the Rakshasa Kingdom are united, they are not a monolithic entity."

"If we are willing to negotiate, Alabbutan should not insist on continuing the fight."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianxi said calmly, "Zhang Ying, do you think we can get Alabtan to hand over the Snow Region through negotiations?"

"Your Majesty, the Snow Region and the Imperial Court originally had only a nominal relationship of ruler and subject."

"Whether it is the nobles of the snowy region or their saints, they all keep a distance from the imperial court and harbor great suspicion towards it."

"Therefore, the imperial court did not need to launch a major offensive."

Zhang Ying spoke at a measured pace, her words carrying a hint of determination.

Looking at Zhang Ying, Emperor Qianxi pondered for a moment and said, "Zhang Ying, if the court abandons the snowy region, then the heartland of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan will all be under the military might of Arabtan."

"At that time, the cost of light defense will increase significantly."

Have you considered this?

Zhang Ying clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, although the cost of defense will increase, we still have the advantage of terrain in defending the heartland."

"Moreover, the court still has the unrest in Jiangnan to deal with, which is the most urgent matter."

After Zhang Ying finished speaking, he looked at Ma Qi and asked, "Lord Ma, can the Ministry of Revenue provide the funds to fight on two fronts?"

Ma Qi didn't want to speak at this moment; he wished he could play dead and minimize his presence.

He knew all too well that at this critical juncture, if he spoke, he would surely incur the displeasure of the Qianxi Emperor.

After all, Taicang had no money, so the Ministry of Revenue couldn't stand up straight.

Unexpectedly, that despicable Zhang Ying has brought trouble upon him again!
He glanced coldly at Zhang Ying, but could only bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, Taicang only has a little over 200,000 taels of silver left."

“With 300,000 Green Standard Army troops deployed, the Ministry of Revenue doesn’t have that much silver.”

"I wonder if the Imperial Household Department can allocate a batch to the Ministry of Revenue to provide some support."

The Imperial Household Department was the emperor's private treasury, and the emperor's spending and accounting were basically handled through the Imperial Household Department.

Because of the emperor's influence, the Imperial Household Department was often wealthier than the Ministry of Revenue.

The mere mention of the Imperial Household Department made Emperor Qianxi even more distressed:
If the Imperial Household Department had money, would I be worrying about this?
Although there is some silver, it is far from enough to support a large army's expedition.

Otherwise, he wouldn't need to rely on the Eighth Prince.

However, Emperor Qianxi could not bring himself to abandon the snowy region.

From Emperor Qianxi's perspective, if he abandoned the snowy region, the court would face endless troubles, and his reputation as Emperor Qianxi would likely be ruined in the history books.

As for these ministers?
They won't have much influence, since the decision is made by the emperor; they are just offering suggestions.

However, the already forced imperial expedition is now facing even greater difficulties.

Not only were there many opponents among the high-ranking officials, but there were even more opponents among the ordinary officials.

In a moment of thought, Emperor Qianxi said in a deep voice, "Today is New Year's Eve. Everyone had only drunk half of the wine when I called them here to discuss matters. It must have been hard for them."

"The matter in Jiangnan shall be handled according to the draft decree for now." "As for the matter in Lanzhou, we will discuss it later."

"All of you officials, go home and have a good New Year, so that your families won't have to wait around."

At this point, Emperor Qianxi turned to Liang Jiugong and said, "The Crown Prince has recently harvested some watermelons at his estate in Xiaotangshan. Send one to each of you gentlemen to try."

"Watermelon is cooling in nature, so just have a taste and be careful not to get diarrhea!"

Emperor Qianxi's concern naturally prompted the ministers to quickly express their gratitude.

Although Zhang Ying was unwilling to accept this, he knew that this was not the time to confront Emperor Qianxi head-on, so he obediently took his leave.

As the courtiers departed, Emperor Qianxi sighed.

Although he had been ruling unilaterally for many years, there were some things he still needed to listen to the advice of his ministers.

Managing a household is difficult, but managing a poor household is even more difficult!
Take this expedition to the Northwest as an example. The lack of money was like a tight band around his head, making him extremely uncomfortable.

Just as Emperor Qianxi was pondering, Liang Jiugong quickly walked over and said, "Your Majesty, Li Guangdi requests an audience."

Emperor Qianxi nodded and said, "Let Li Guangdi in."

In just two minutes, Li Guangdi arrived in front of Emperor Qianxi.

"Your subject Li Guangdi greets Your Majesty." Li Guangdi bowed respectfully once more.

Emperor Qianxi waved his hand and said, "Guangdi, since you've come here at this time, just say what you need to say."

"Your Majesty, I feel that Ge Li's death is somewhat suspicious."

Emperor Qianxi's expression changed. He glanced around and waved to Liang Jiugong.

Understanding Emperor Qianxi's thoughts, Liang Jiugong immediately withdrew with his subordinates.

"Is there something strange about it?"

“Your Majesty, I have served in Liangjiang before, and based on my understanding of the naval forces controlling the rivers, many of their soldiers have other livelihoods.”

"Even if the imperial court temporarily withholds grain and pay, it wouldn't lead to killing officials and rebellion."

"Especially since he's a high-ranking official like Ge Li!"

Li Guangdi said in a low voice, "Therefore, I feel that there seems to be something fishy going on here."

Emperor Qianxi nodded slightly. Although the military might of the court was not as strong as when it first established its rule over the country, the court's legitimacy had begun to take root in people's hearts.

At a time like this, anyone with a brain knows that rebellion will not end well.

The naval forces controlling the Yangtze River had their own ways of operating, meaning they weren't particularly short of money. Under these circumstances, committing a crime punishable by the extermination of an entire clan seemed unnecessary.

However, if it weren't for the money, there would be much bigger problems here.

"Do you have any evidence?" Emperor Qianxi asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, I have no evidence to report this to, but I find the matter suspicious."

"Therefore, Your Majesty is requested to investigate the matter in Jiangnan more thoroughly."

Emperor Qianxi nodded and said, "I understand."

What's your opinion on the decision to send troops to the Northwest?

Li Guangdi knew what Emperor Qianxi was thinking. He hesitated for a moment, but still said solemnly, "Jiangnan is the heart of the court, while the Northwest and the snowy region are the court's shield."

"Both are of paramount importance to the imperial court; neither can be dispensed with!"

Emperor Qianxi remained calm, quietly waiting for Li Guangdi to continue. However, the glint in his eyes indicated that he had already taken Li Guangdi's words to heart.

"Your Majesty's expedition to Arabtan, as long as the supply of food and provisions can keep up, I believe there is no possibility of failure. We should fight!"

"After all, Alabtan had been entangled with Galdan for many years, and now it has just annexed Galdan's former territory, so it is also riddled with internal problems."

"However, if Your Majesty is to personally lead the expedition, there must be someone who can oversee the affairs of the court."

"This person can not only guarantee His Majesty's military supplies, but also stabilize the court and quell the rebellion in Jiangnan."

At this point, Li Guangdi clasped his hands and said, "Only in this way can His Majesty go on the expedition without any worries about the rear."

"Otherwise, if His Majesty tries to have both, he may end up losing on both."

Listening to his trusted minister's analysis, Emperor Qianxi nodded heavily and said, "Guangdi, you are right."

"Without capable people to help me, I might end up losing on both fronts."

He stood up, took a few steps quietly, and then sighed.

"Guangdi, what you said is very good. I know what to do."

"It's the New Year, so I won't keep you any longer."

"Good job!"

Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Li Guangdi did not linger. After bowing to Emperor Qianxi, he respectfully departed.

Emperor Qianxi sat in his chair, silently pondering Li Guangdi's words.

The death of Ge Li in Jiangnan is not so simple. What exactly happened? Will Zhang Ying know anything about it? And...?

Jiangnan must not be thrown into chaos!
Food and provisions must be prepared!
He was able to maintain order in the court even after his departure, ensuring that the people had no worries about the future!
With all these factors combined, Emperor Qianxi had only one person on his mind: the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince is capable enough; with him in charge, it seems that nothing is a problem.

Not only will the military pay be more than enough, but it will also be difficult for Zhang Ying and his group to conceal the shady dealings in Jiangnan from the Crown Prince.

However, it seems that I have recently offended the Crown Prince terribly!
This isn't something that can be easily appeased with a single imperial edict... Sigh, it's really giving me a headache!
　The second update for today is here! Please support me, everyone, and vote!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)