The Ming Dynasty: A bookstore sells the history of the Ming Dynasty, leaving Emperor Chongzhen bewil

Yuan Chonghuan was very frustrated.

In fact, he began to feel depressed after arriving in Beijing.

On his way to the capital, Yuan Chonghuan was full of confidence. He was appointed to a higher position twice in a short period of time, each time with greater force. The last time, he was promoted to the top rank. So, on the way, Yuan Chonghuan had already thought about how to deal with the emperor's great favor and his plans after becoming the governor of Jiliao.

But for some reason, after he went to the capital to meet the emperor, the emperor seemed to start to neglect him, keeping him in the capital and never mentioning going to the front lines again, and never even seeing him alone again.

This frustrated Yuan Chonghuan, but he was not idle in the Ministry of War because a mutiny had occurred at the front due to unpaid wages, and he reviewed the military pay expenditures for the entire year.

At that moment, a name came into view: Mao Wenlong.

The feud between Mao Wenlong and him had a long history, and he disapproved of Mao Wenlong's behavior. In his eyes, Mao Wenlong was a rogue who was more trouble than he was worth.

So I took this opportunity to impeach Mao Wenlong.

But Yuan Chonghuan never expected that his confident impeachment of Mao Wenlong would once again be met with a harsh blow from the emperor.

Use his own words to turn the tables and get a firm answer from him.

Speechless and utterly humiliated.

At this moment, Chongzhen's gaze swept over the assembled officials in the hall:

"Do you remember? Just two days ago we received an urgent document from the front. Because the soldiers haven't been paid for six months, a mutiny has broken out at the front. The Liaodong governor, Bi Zisu, has been arrested. The rebel soldiers searched the governor's office thoroughly, but they couldn't find a single penny."

"Look at you all, the entire palace is in a state of panic and helplessness!"

"But have you noticed that Mao Wenlong managed Pi Island for eight years, and not only did he never cause a mutiny, but he also managed it very successfully. From two hundred soldiers, he now has tens of thousands of troops. He trained soldiers, promoted education, facilitated trade, and established military farms. He blocked the Manchus' sea routes and harassed them from time to time. The late emperor commented on him: 'Although his achievements are small, he has indeed blunted the enemy's advance!' Huang Taiji said: 'When Mao Wenlong was there, he ravaged our borders and recruited our fugitives. I have accumulated a lot of anger and resentment!'"

"The Manchus regard Mao Wenlong as a thorn in their side, yet you repeatedly petition to have him relocated. Doesn't this please your enemies and pain your own people?"

Faced with Chongzhen's questioning, the entire hall remained silent.

They didn't know where the Emperor had heard Huang Taiji's words, but seeing how clearly and logically the Emperor spoke, no one dared to question him.

At this moment, anyone who dared to speak up would be walking into the line of fire, or rather, taking a blow for Yuan Chonghuan.

Chongzhen continued, "You keep emphasizing that Dongjiang Town was wasteful and that Mao Wenlong embezzled funds for personal gain, but let me ask you, what did Mao Wenlong have? A few dilapidated boats and a few old cannons from the Jiajing era, yet he built a solid water defense line in the icy sea to hold off the Manchus!"

"My lords," I ask you, "by the standards set by Mao Wenlong, which one of you is capable of defending Liaodong?"

"Who dares to volunteer? I'll send him to Liaodong right now!"

The entire hall fell silent again, everyone hanging their heads low, no one daring to step forward.

In truth, everyone knew that Mao Wenlong's ability to grow powerful on Pi Island was not due to the imperial court's provisions, but rather to his business dealings. He "widely recruited merchants, traded prohibited goods, ostensibly to aid Korea, but in reality to facilitate travel beyond the Great Wall. When there was no trouble, he made a living by selling ginseng and cloth, but when there was trouble, he was rarely employed."

With only the government's meager funds and stipends, there would probably have been a rebellion long ago.

"General Yuan!"

Emperor Chongzhen turned his attention back to Yuan Chonghuan: "And you, if I only gave you the same level of resources as Mao Wenlong, could you possibly recover Liaodong in five years?"

Yuan Chonghuan remained silent.

He couldn't say anything. He had already said when he first met the emperor that if Liaodong was to be recovered in five years, it would require the full cooperation of the six ministries. Mao Wenlong's meager resources wouldn't even be enough to fill a gap in the teeth, let alone recover Liaodong in five years.

"snort!"

Emperor Chongzhen suddenly snorted coldly and said, "Don't think I don't know. Even if I give you preferential treatment and fully cooperate with you, you still can't recover Liaodong in five years!"

Yuan Chonghuan was taken aback upon hearing this.

What does the Emperor mean by that? Does it mean that the Emperor has already seen through this goal, which is nothing more than empty promises?

However, the emperor's next words struck him like a thunderbolt.

"The recapture of Liaodong in five years is merely a way to appease the emperor!"

Chongzhen's voice wasn't loud, but to Yuan Chonghuan, it sounded like a thunderclap exploding above his head.

He said this privately to Xu Yuqing, a supervising secretary in the Ministry of War.

How did it reach the Emperor's ears?

Could it be that……

Yuan Chonghuan suddenly turned to look at Xu Yuqing, only to find that the latter also had a look of shock on his face.

Yuan Chonghuan turned around and saw the Emperor staring intently at him, who said sternly, "You say Mao Wenlong is deceiving the Emperor, but I think you are the one who is deceiving the Emperor!"

boom!

These words were like a thunderbolt from the heavens; this time, they didn't just explode above Yuan Chonghuan's head, but struck him directly on the head.

Pfft!

Yuan Chonghuan immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty, I misspoke. Please forgive me!"

In an instant, the entire scene in the Hall of Supreme Harmony seemed to freeze, with the officials either dumbfounded or gasping for breath.

Yuan, the Minister of Works and Governor-General, who had just been so adamant about impeaching Mao Wenlong, is now kneeling down and confessing his guilt.

The reversal of fortunes left everyone somewhat bewildered.

Emperor Chongzhen, however, had no intention of letting Yuan Chonghuan off the hook, and said in a deep voice, "The crime of deceiving the emperor is unforgivable!"

Yuan Chonghuan was truly panicked this time.

From the first time he met the emperor, he felt something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He just felt that the emperor wasn't as enthusiastic and expectant of him as when he issued the edict to appoint him.

Now, the emperor has directly charged him with deceiving the emperor?

Is this deceiving the emperor?

He did indeed lie, but the lie could be a big deal or a small deal. To put it simply, it was just boasting, but the emperor insisted on exaggerating it, which had a strong flavor of "wanting to find fault, one can always find a pretext."

What are they trying to do?

What exactly did Yuan Chonghuan do wrong? Why does the Emperor hate him so much? Why does he want to get rid of him as soon as possible?

Just because I implicated Mao Wenlong? That can't be...

Yuan Chonghuan was completely baffled, his mind a jumbled mess. Just then, the Emperor's voice rang out again:

"Men, seize Yuan Chonghuan!"

As soon as the voice fell, Imperial Guards leaped in, pinned Yuan Chonghuan down, and took him into custody.

"Remove Yuan Chonghuan from all military posts and exile him to Pi Island!"

???

Military service?

Pi Island?

Isn't that Mao Wenlong's territory?

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chonghuan's already astonished eyes gradually lost their luster, and he remained as if in a daze as the Imperial Guards held him down...