Jingtai: Making the Ming Dynasty Great Again

The edict was very long, and Hu Ying read it for a full quarter of an hour.

After Hu Ying finished reading, Zhu Qiyu slowly rose and faced the assembled officials and soldiers:

"Since I have received the mandate of Heaven, I shall carry out the affairs of Heaven."

Now that the Oirat Mongols have invaded our borders, our nation is in grave danger. I, along with my ministers and the million soldiers and civilians in the capital, have no way out.

I hereby swear: I will live and die with Beijing, I will live and die with the Ming Dynasty!

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

The shouts surged like a tidal wave, shaking the heavens.

Zhu Qiyu looked at the emperor and his ministers with satisfaction, then turned to Xing'an: "Xing'an."

Xing'an understood immediately and unfolded an imperial edict. This edict was not drafted by the Hanlin Academy, but was written by Zhu Qiyu himself.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Before dawn on the sixth day of the ninth month of the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, officials, soldiers and civilians had committed offenses.

Except for treason, rebellion, murder of grandparents or parents by descendants, wives or concubines killing their husbands, servants killing their masters, murder by plotting, bewitching or using witchcraft, murder by poison, and robbery, all of which are unforgivable.

All other crimes, whether discovered or not, whether concluded or not, regardless of their severity, are hereby pardoned.

In the fourteenth year of the Zhengtong reign, the autumn grain tax was reduced by 30%, and in Hebei, Shanxi, and other areas ravaged by war, it was completely exempted for one year.

During the period of martial law in the capital, all officials received their salaries as usual, and the soldiers defending the city received double the pay.

Xu Junmin spoke frankly about the merits and demerits of current affairs, and those whose opinions were worth considering were promoted without hesitation.

The proclamation was made known both domestically and internationally.

So be it.

Upon hearing this edict, the garrison troops and generals below were instantly invigorated, shouting in unison, "Long live the Emperor!"

The civil officials, on the other hand, mostly looked displeased.

Zhu Qiyu's decision to only raise the salaries of military officers sparked a lot of speculation among them.

The ceremony of offering sacrifices to Heaven and ascending the throne was completed smoothly, and Zhu Qiyu led the way into the Fengtian Hall.

This is a place he has visited only a handful of times in the past twenty years.

This was the emperor's exclusive place for discussing state affairs.

Empress Dowager Sun, Consort Wu, and others returned to the inner palace.

Before leaving, Consort Wu looked at Zhu Qiyu with heartache.

She hadn't smiled in a long time since she learned that Zhu Qiyu was going to become the emperor.

The emperor being an illegitimate son was unprecedented in the Ming Dynasty.

Being an emperor is not an easy job.

After all the officials entered the hall and paid their respects, Xing'an did not ask, as usual, if there was anything to report.

He then took out another imperial edict and read aloud:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Since I have just ascended the throne, I should use swift and decisive action to cleanse the court and prepare for war and defense. Here are a few things that should be implemented immediately.

Effective immediately, a Minister of the Beijing Garrison will be appointed to oversee all military and administrative affairs of the Beijing Garrison and to have sole authority over such matters.

The Minister of War, Yu Qian, was appointed concurrently as the Commander-in-Chief of the Beijing Garrison, in charge of all military and troop defenses in the capital. All six ministries and five government offices were required to cooperate without delay.

The Beijing garrison was immediately reorganized into the Jingtai Three Camps, each with 20,000 men, and was to be commanded by Shi Heng, Sun Tang, and Fan Guang respectively. Within seven days, they were to form a battle formation and be ready for battle.

The nine gates will be defended, with ten additional cannons added to each gate. The Ministry of Works will work day and night to produce gunpowder and bullets, ensuring that there is no shortage.

Watchtowers were built throughout the city, and flag signals were used to ensure that messages could be transmitted smoothly.

Starting today, grain rationing will be implemented, with grain tokens issued to each household to prevent hoarding and speculation. Anyone who dares to inflate prices or spread rumors will be executed immediately.

Carpenters and blacksmiths from all over the city were conscripted and incorporated into the Ordnance Bureau to rush the production of defensive weapons. Those who offered good ideas or made effective weapons would be richly rewarded.

Thirty thousand shacks were built outside the city to house refugees. Each shack was headed by a militia member who assisted in defending the city.

All of the above provisions shall take effect immediately.

Any official in any government department who dares to shirk responsibility or delay will be dismissed and investigated.

Those who outwardly comply but inwardly defy will be treated as traitors!

Some of these imperial edicts were already issued by Zhu Qiyu, while others were not yet implemented.

However, he was the regent before, and now he is the emperor. He brought it up again to legitimize his position.

Many ministers were delighted to hear this, and their previous discontent over the soldiers' pay raise vanished instantly.

The position of Admiral was held by Yu Qian, the Minister of War.

This means that military power is being transferred to them.

Whether Yu Qian had a good relationship with them or not was unimportant, as long as the Admiral remained the Minister of War.

At worst, we can find a way to impeach Yu Qian afterward.

As soon as the officials below finished their bows, Xing'an unfurled the third edict:

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:"

Wang Zhen, the eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial, was found guilty of abusing his power and harming the country, and his crimes were extremely heinous.

His henchmen, including Ma Shun, Mao Gui, and Wang Changsui, have been executed.

After a thorough investigation by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was found that 32 other eunuchs and officials colluded with him, engaging in corruption and perverting the law; the evidence was conclusive.

He was immediately taken to the West Market and beheaded at noon.

Their family property was confiscated and used as military funds.

This is hereby announced to the world as a warning to others!

On August 19, Chen Yi led the petition, demanding that Wang Zhen and his cronies have their homes confiscated and their families exterminated.

During this period, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had been investigating and arresting Wang Zhen's cronies.

During this period, many people were arrested and many were released, and some were still in the main hall.

Upon hearing this edict, the expressions of the officials present changed slightly.

They were the ones who proposed confiscating the property and exterminating the clan, but they didn't expect Zhu Qiyu to choose today.

On the very first day of his official ascension to the throne, he ordered the killings.

Zhu Qiyu smiled as he looked down at the ministers whose expressions varied.

Lu Zhong had already submitted his report on the investigation to Zhu Qiyu three days prior, and he had already conceived of this plan at that time:

You want me to kill them? Well, I'll show you.

I will not only kill them, but I will kill them today.

Previously, after each imperial edict was read aloud, the officials would shout "Long live the Emperor!", but this time, after a few breaths, His Highness remained silent.

Zhu Qiyu asked jokingly, "What? Do you have objections to this edict?"

Silence fell again. Finally, Hu Ying was the first to speak: "Wang Zhen's henchmen are guilty of unforgivable crimes. However, Your Majesty has just ascended the throne and should be cautious in carrying out killings."

I suggest that he be detained temporarily, and dealt with after the Oirat army withdraws.

Zhu Qiyu chuckled: "Hehe, aren't you the ones who demanded the execution of Wang Zhen's entire clan?"

"Since they'll be killed sooner or later anyway, keeping them alive is just a waste of food."

Someone was about to speak when Shi Heng said, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Then several others spoke up: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Until the entire court shouted, "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhu Qiyu nodded in satisfaction: "By the way, Minister Wang."

Wang Zhi, who was below, bowed and said, "Your subject, Wang Zhi, Minister of Personnel, shall obey your command."

Zhu Qiyu looked at Wang Zhi: "Since I ascended the throne from my princely residence, the old servants of the Prince of Cheng's mansion have served me diligently for many years."

The nation is in dire need of capable people now, and I hope you will appoint them according to their abilities.

Wang Zhi bowed and replied, "Your subject obeys the decree and will certainly conduct an impartial examination and appoint officials according to their abilities."

Zhu Qiyu had no one he could rely on in the court.

Now, only two eunuchs truly obey his orders: Xing'an and Cheng Jing.

Yu Qian, Minister of War, and Lu Zhong, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

There were also several generals guarding the city.

Shi Heng, one of them, was an opportunist. He was not loyal to Zhu Qiyu; he would help whoever was powerful.

Zhu Qiyu did not issue any orders to the other civil officials.

Don't be fooled by his current issuance of edicts and decrees; they are all orders of "righteousness" to protect the country and its people.

Moreover, these orders do not affect the interests of most officials.

Therefore, Zhu Qiyu had to promote his own people.

Of course, it's impossible for the people in the Prince of Cheng's mansion to hold power now; Zhu Qiyu's purpose is to obtain information through them.

What truly enabled Zhu Qiyu to control the court was the 200,000-strong army of the Beijing Garrison.

As the saying goes, political power grows out of the barrel of a gun; everything else is meaningless.

Political intrigue? Let my big sword handle that!