Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 52 Final Preparations Before Entering Shaanxi

Internal troubles and external threats

For Shaanxi, the difficulties it faces are not limited to internal natural disasters and man-made calamities.

In the Hetao Mongolian region, further north of the Yansui military town.

Ordos tribe's Jinong (title) - Erlinchen.

Erlinchen was riding a strong and sturdy horse, accompanied by dozens of elite servants, wandering along the border of the grassland.

His triangular eyes would occasionally sweep over the illusory, dilapidated Great Wall defense line not far ahead, his gaze filled with greed and contempt.

Two or three months ago.

During the summer, Erlinchen led several thousand cavalrymen to easily cross this defensive line and penetrate deep into Yan'an Prefecture.

then.

They looted several county towns, burned villages, and abducted countless people and livestock.

The Ming army's garrison commander only dared to close the city gates and defend himself; he showed no courage whatsoever to stop them.

The Ming Dynasty, once a behemoth, has become increasingly weak and vulnerable.

Erlinchen licked his lips and addressed his subordinates in a loud voice: "Kheshig, do you still remember the joyous days we spent burning, killing, and looting in the Ming Kingdom not long ago!"

"Hahaha, Jinong, which time are you referring to? We've plundered the Ming Dynasty countless times with you over the years! Under your iron hooves, those Ming generals didn't even dare to glance at us!"

"It's much easier for us to enter the Ming Dynasty's checkpoints than to get into a woman's bed at night!"

"So, Jinong, which time exactly are you referring to? I really can't remember!"

Erlinchen smiled slightly, deeply impressed by his subordinates' boasting.

As a descendant of the Golden Family.

Nothing brings them more pleasure than crushing the enemy's head, toying with the enemy's wives and daughters, and enslaving the enemy's offspring.

Moreover, the Ordos tribe has now grown into one of the most powerful forces in the Hetao region.

All of this made Erlinchen, as the leader, feel proud.

Amidst the laughter and merriment, a Han Chinese man on horseback approached Erlinchen.

“Jinong, when I accompanied you to invade the Ming Dynasty two or three months ago, I noticed that the drought in the Shaanxi region was already extremely severe.”

"Now that so much time has passed, the drought there must have become even more severe. As a result, the morale of the soldiers defending Shaanxi will inevitably collapse again."

"And now, for my Ordos tribe, it is the perfect time for our horses to be fat and strong, and there has never been a better time to raid south again."

"Moreover, given the nature of the gentry and officials among the Ming people, they will surely take advantage of this drought to hoard and speculate. As long as our troops take this opportunity to go south, we might be able to plunder enough grain and supplies to last for several years in one go."

Listening to the advice offered by his Han Chinese strategist, Erlinchen nodded slightly.

He glanced at the elite guards beside him, then yanked the reins sharply, and his warhorse reared up and neighed.

Erlinchen, on horseback, raised his whip and shouted to his men, "Kheshig, when you get back, tell your urus to make full preparations for me."

"One month from now, we will march south to plunder the Ming Dynasty!"

The Kheshig soldiers also raised their whips high and shouted wildly across the grassland: "One month from now, we will march south to raid the Ming!"

Looking at his highly motivated subordinates, Erlinchen's lips curled into a dangerous and cruel smile.

On a clear autumn day when horses are fat and strong, they march south to raid the city.

A few days later.

In the Qianqing Palace.

Zhu Youjian sat in the Qianqing Palace, surrounded by his personal guards, reviewing documents. Cao Huachun slowly entered the hall, bowed, and reported:
"Your Majesty, all the supplies and personnel needed for your tour, including the extra firearms you specifically requested to be carried, have been prepared by your servant."

"Besides the logistics personnel and your personal guards, I have also carefully selected five hundred loyal and capable men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Duke Zhang Weixian of Yingguo has also selected five hundred elite soldiers from the Beijing Garrison. In total, the number is about five thousand." Zhu Youjian nodded and said calmly, "Take one million taels of silver from the Imperial Treasury and summon everyone to Wansui Mountain. I will go there later."

"This servant obeys the decree!"

After Cao Huachun left, Zhu Youjian put down the book in his hand and slowly stood up.

The trip to Shaanxi is imminent; it's time to conduct the pre-departure mobilization.

Not long after.

Zhu Youjian led his men to the martial arts training ground on Wansui Mountain.

Apart from the Imperial Guards of the Divine Might Battalion, who were slightly better off, everyone else showed excitement on their faces when they saw His Majesty arrive in person.

In recent days, His Majesty's actions have deeply resonated with the people, and those who have been most affected are the people themselves.

Moreover, for many of them, it was the first time they had ever been so close to the emperor.

So when Zhu Youjian appeared, the five thousand men knelt down in unison and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Five thousand people—it's not a lot, but it's not a small number either.

The shouts of the crowd shook the palace, attracting the attention of the palace maids and eunuchs on duty nearby, stirring their hearts.

Zhu Youjian nodded: "Rise."

The word "Rise" was called out by the messengers in turn, and the crowd slowly stood up in an orderly fashion.

Looking at the group of young faces before him who were about to go to war with him, Zhu Youjian didn't waste any words and spoke directly:

"To reward the troops, everyone will receive a generous reward after the expedition."

As the words "reward the army" were passed around, the already excited crowd became even more fervent.

The silver that the emperor personally distributed was heavier than five taels.

More than five thousand people knelt down again and shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"We would gladly die for the Emperor!"

The heartfelt cries of the crowd, ready to die for their country, echoed through Mount Wansui, stretching endlessly.

Facing the crowd chanting "Long live the Emperor!", Zhu Youjian merely nodded indifferently, his mind no longer preoccupied with the immediate matter.

Before setting off for Shaanxi, what Zhu Youjian truly cared about was that the empire's progress should not be slowed down too much after he left.

Once he enters Shaanxi, it can take anywhere from three months to half a year before he can return to the capital.

He didn't take the civil service seriously; once he had the time, they would just be numbers dying off in batches.

But how to ensure that political affairs do not stagnate during this period is what he needs to consider.

no way.

The productivity of that era dictated that communication could not be fast.

If something happened and the court needed to consult him, the round trip by carriage alone would take a month.

In response, we must take drastic measures to further motivate the people we have promoted and significantly boost their initiative.

After inspecting the group at Wansui Mountain.

Zhu Youjian then personally visited the Beijing Garrison and the Embroidered Uniform Guard without stopping.

This naturally caused another stir, boosting morale and public sentiment significantly.

After all this was done, it was already late at night when Zhu Youjian returned to the palace.

He showed no sign of stopping, and continued to instruct Wang Chengen: "Bring Chen Xinjia and Zhang Weixian's two groups of people here."

(End of this chapter)