Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 88: Isn't this a bit too paternalistic?
After everyone inside the room had expressed their loyalty...

Du Wenhuan said calmly, "Sun Chuanting has already secured the city gates. It won't be so easy for us to go out of the pass and contact the Mongol tribes."

"He and the men he brought seem to be quite capable. If we force our way in, we will suffer significant losses as well."

Upon hearing this, all the generals nodded repeatedly.

Nominally.

The Yansui military garrison had tens of thousands of soldiers, but most of them were slave soldiers who were even worse than commoners.

Those who were truly capable of fighting were all their private soldiers and retainers.

The combined number of the two is only a few thousand.

So if hundreds of people really died in the battle, it would be quite heartbreaking.

However, Du Wenhuan, who guarded the border, was also a decisive person.

He knew that this opportunity was hard-won, and that if the emperor were to continue living, it would be extremely disadvantageous for him.

He immediately ordered, "Go tell the messenger that we agree to cooperate."

"Then tonight, under cover of darkness, we'll see if we can get him out of the pass, if that guy surnamed Sun is vigilant enough."

"Then let's make our move tomorrow night and eliminate him!"

Upon hearing Du Wenhuan's words, all the generals accepted the order and went to prepare for the relevant matters.

Faced with enormous profits, the loss of some servants and private soldiers is nothing.

They felt no remorse whatsoever for plotting to assassinate the imperial envoy.

Even the emperor died in Shaanxi, so what's wrong with a mere imperial envoy?!

That is to say, this place is short of water.

Otherwise, after killing you, they'd throw you into the river, and you might accidentally slip and fall in, dying of fright.

at the same time.

Sun Chuanting also took full control of the defense of the Yansui military town.

With the few hundred soldiers allocated to him by His Majesty, he had quite a few men to guard the city gates.

We may not be able to handle other major tasks, but preventing people from leaving the country is not a problem.

However, Sun Chuanting did not rest after finishing these tasks.

Instead, he chatted with the lower-ranking soldiers who lived nearby.

These people were called soldiers, but they were no different from the starving refugees.

The refugees in various prefectures can still receive relief to fill their stomachs, but these people are unable to escape the military towns.

They toil all day but can only earn a meager amount of food.

So when he met an imperial envoy like Sun Chuanting, Sun Chuanting actually put aside his pride and chatted with him gently.

These people were initially terrified, but later became moved.

He then revealed everything he knew about the Yansui military town.

For example, where could one secretly escape beyond the Great Wall, and what was the troop strength of the Yansui military garrison?
After asking the questions he wanted to know, Sun Chuanting distributed some silver and grain to these people.

He then hurriedly wrote down this valuable information and sent it to His Majesty.

Sun Chuanting knew he might be in danger before he even arrived at the Yansui military town.

After arriving, he became even more certain of this.

Therefore, these things must be sent to His Majesty first.

It remains to be seen how the people in the Yansui military town will respond.

Sun Chuanting clenched his fists as he gazed at the distant area where the generals lived.

In the evening, the sun sets.

Inside the Xi'an Prefectural Government Office.

Zhu Youjian was inspecting the new recruits' drills. Seeing His Majesty arrive in person, everyone was naturally doing their best to show off.

After the training session ended, Zhang Xianzhong respectfully approached after being granted permission.

He was a man who knew how to seize opportunities, and of course he wouldn't let go of such a chance to get closer to the emperor.

However, besides this, Zhang Xianzhong was also very worried about the current situation in Shaanxi and had many suggestions he wanted to share with His Majesty.

When your buttocks change, the things you think about in your head naturally change too.

The Zhang Xianzhong of the past only wanted Shaanxi to descend into chaos, but the Zhang Xianzhong of today would love for Shaanxi to enter a utopian society overnight.

Upon approaching His Majesty, Zhang Xianzhong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question about the situation in Yan'an Prefecture. Could Your Majesty please enlighten me?"

Zhu Youjian nodded slightly; subordinates, after all, need to be cultivated little by little.

"Your Majesty, I can understand why you sent Imperial Envoy Sun to Yansui Military Town first."

"After the King of Qin dies, the news will soon reach Yan'an Prefecture. In their desperation, those officials will most likely collude with the border troops and make contact with foreign tribes."

"I can roughly understand the imperial edict you issued. It's nothing more than a delaying tactic. Once those people receive the edict, they will feel a little more at ease and will no longer act so aggressively. Imperial Envoy Sun will not be in too much danger."

"But I really don't understand why you sent those people to settle the land and settle the people."

"In my humble opinion, saving the people of Yan'an Prefecture truly requires a thorough assessment of the population and land ownership before any action can be taken."

"But the officials in Yan'an Prefecture will definitely drag this out until Yan'an Prefecture is in complete chaos!"

Zhang Xianzhong came from Yan'an Prefecture.

Therefore, he was very clear about the situation there.

If this continues, the entire grain supply in Yan'an Prefecture will be completely consumed in less than half a month.

He simply couldn't understand why His Majesty would still send those officials to do the work of assessing the people's land and population at this time.

This isn't something that can be done in a short time; isn't this just letting those bastards waste time?!
Other places can still be delayed, but Yan'an Prefecture really can't afford to delay any longer.

Seeing His Majesty's calm expression, Zhang Xianzhong couldn't help but ask again, "Or is Your Majesty just using this as a pretext, and you actually have a backup plan?"

Zhu Youjian said calmly, "Who said they would keep dragging their feet?"

"Ah? Your Majesty."

Hearing this, Zhang Xianzhong was truly confused.

Given the character of those beasts, even if you sent someone to hold a knife to their throats and force them to do this, they would still try every means to delay it.

Before he could speak again, His Majesty's voice came again.

How many officials were there in total, including those from Shaanxi and Yan'an Prefecture?

"There were probably several hundred people?" Zhang Xianzhong replied.

"If dozens of people are dismembered in front of hundreds of people, will the rest be allowed to continue?"

Zhang Xianzhong: ?

Is this really how it can be solved?!
To execute dozens of officials by slow slicing?!

Let alone the Ming Dynasty, there has never been such a precedent since the Qin Dynasty, right?
This is beyond extreme!
Zhang Xianzhong swallowed hard, unconsciously lowering his body even further.

Whether there's any precedent for this is another matter, but it's definitely useful.

Such a scene would definitely leave a huge psychological scar on everyone present.

After returning, everyone will probably work desperately to regulate the population and land.

I never expected that His Majesty could even foresee this step.

Zhang Xianzhong lowered his body further and further until he finally knelt on the ground. He understood how His Majesty intended to handle the matter of the civil officials, but what about the military officers?

Zhang Xianzhong was indeed unable to fathom the emperor's intentions.

Although he hated Du Wenhuan, the maid he had raised, to the point of grinding his teeth.

However, it must be admitted that the military garrison in Yansui did indeed have the capability to directly rebel.

If Your Majesty were to lead a direct assault, there would likely be heavy casualties within the imperial entourage, and the situation would become critical.

But if Yansui remains untouched...

Then the problems of Yan'an Prefecture and even the whole of Shaanxi could not be completely solved.

Amidst various anxieties, Zhang Xianzhong continued to ask in a trembling voice:

"Your Majesty, what are your plans regarding those arrogant and unruly soldiers in the Yansui military garrison? Please enlighten me."

Zhu Youjian replied calmly, "Apart from Du Wenhuan's private army, how many soldiers are there in the military town?"

Zhang Xianzhong thought for a moment, then replied, "About thirty to forty thousand men."

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhang Xianzhong understood what His Majesty intended to do.

With their morale boosted, the 30,000 to 40,000 men charged in unison, and Du Wenhuan's few thousand private soldiers were no match for them.

Zhang Xianzhong kowtowed deeply, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for clearing up my doubts!"

Even after His Majesty left, Zhang Xianzhong remained kneeling for a long time before he could recover.

He never expected that those difficult problems could be solved so easily.

Inside Yan'an Prefecture.

Qiao Yingjia and his group gathered together again.

Hearing the reply brought back by the messenger who went to Yansui Military Town, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Having soldiers is good.
Even though the emperor had sent an imperial envoy in advance, they still dared to launch a direct attack.

Next, they subtly signaled to the emperor: Don't make any rash moves, or the foreign tribes will enter the pass.

Just as Qiao Yingjia and his group were pondering.

Suddenly, a loud shout came from outside: "Governor Qiao Yingjia of Shaanxi and a group of officials, receive the imperial decree."

Qiao Yingjia's heart skipped a beat again as he had just relaxed.

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

They had just reached an agreement with the Yansui military garrison to jointly drag the emperor to his death in Shaanxi, so why did an imperial edict suddenly arrive at this time?!

Although the group was greatly confused, their fear of the emperor prevented them from delaying, and they hurriedly went out to receive the imperial decree.

The Imperial Guard who came to deliver the imperial decree glanced at the group, then read aloud, "His Majesty's decree:"

Done.

The Imperial Guards mounted their horses and left without looking back, leaving behind a group of officials with fascinating expressions.

Among all the officials, Qiao Yingjia was the one who was most overjoyed at this moment.

He never expected it.

Why would the Emperor be doing something like clarifying land ownership and investigating household registration at this time?

what does this mean? !

This means that by taking advantage of this matter, a lot of time can be wasted.

Until Shaanxi was dragged into complete chaos, and the emperor was driven to his death without a proper burial!
At this time, Hong Chengchou's mindset changed again.

Did the emperor finally realize that he couldn't save the entire Shaanxi province by himself?

If that's the case, then he'll have to switch sides again.

Nowadays, Hong Chengchou feels uneasy whenever he thinks about the two things he sent to the emperor.

It's likely that once the emperor arrives, he will be secretly summoned to discuss matters.
Hong Chengchou quickly pondered how to deal with the emperor and eventually wear him down.

Similarly, Qiao Yingjia was not blinded by this joy.

He immediately returned to the yamen hall with a group of officials, and they began to brainstorm, pondering whether there were any other deeper meanings behind the emperor's edict.

After all, the emperor's every move is now related to their survival, so this matter cannot be taken lightly.

After a pause, a third-rank official spoke first: "Is it possible that the Emperor's sudden issuance of this decree at this time is a pretext to arrest us all?"

"Or is it some kind of delaying tactic?!"

Hearing this, everyone fell into deep thought.

Given his methods, he is certainly capable of doing such a thing.
However, in addition to these high-ranking officials, the imperial edict also required all officials of rank in each county to go and pay homage.

This put their minds at ease.

Even with the ruthless crackdown in Xi'an Prefecture, only one out of ten counties survived.

Given the even more severe disaster in Yan'an Prefecture, it's impossible that everyone was summoned there just to be killed.

If you kill everyone in Xi'an Prefecture, you can indeed find grain and silver.

What about Yan'an Prefecture?!

What problems can be solved by killing people?!

Therefore, after a moment of thought, someone spoke up to deny it, saying, "The Emperor's fundamental purpose in coming to Shaanxi is to provide disaster relief and save the people."

"Presumably, it was only at this point that they realized that killing alone could not save Yan'an Prefecture, so they thought of adjusting the land and people's livelihoods."

"Therefore, we need not worry too much about the summons. After all, this will require a lot of manpower and we can't do without their help."

"I'm afraid the emperor will at most use this opportunity to intimidate us."

These words were met with nods of agreement from the crowd.

If we consider this matter from the perspective of the emperor's fundamental purpose in coming to Shaanxi, we can then understand his intentions.

To save Yan'an Prefecture, it is necessary to regulate the population and land ownership.

And only they can accomplish this task.

In the end, the emperor had to compromise in the face of the overwhelming trend!
Thinking of this, the group couldn't help but feel a sense of triumph and satisfaction at having avenged their great grievances.

Qiao Yingjia, in particular, has been scared to death several times in the past few days.

Now that the initiative is in my own hands, I can't help but feel a great sense of satisfaction.

it is good!
You want to regulate the land and people's livelihood, right?

Then I'll gladly accept this job for you.

Then you will know what it means to be united and unshakeable.

No one had much experience in how to get something done.

But they are all too familiar with how to destroy a government decree.

The emperor will then only feel that everything is developing in the direction he expected.

But every time it comes to a crucial moment, it always falls just short by a little bit.

They would give the emperor hope, and then bring him despair within that hope.

After several round trips
Do not!
There's no need for multiple attempts.

With just one strike, Yan'an Prefecture, already terminally ill, would perish instantly.

(End of this chapter)