Emperor Ming: Your Majesty, you have caused me so much suffering.

August 22, Zuoye Gate (Note 1).

When Zhu Qiyu took over the court, he ordered that the ceremonial procedures be simplified.

The matters previously discussed in the Wenhua Hall should also be reported to the court officials in detail.

Zhu Qiyu didn't waste any more words and went straight to calling out names.

"Minister Wang!"

Wang Zhi, upon receiving the order, was the first to report: "Your Highness, the Ministry of Personnel has already prepared lists of all the vacancies in the court's official ranks!"

"Go ahead and approve it!" Zhu Qiyu nodded, having already reviewed the list.

Wang Zhi has already organized the court recommendation process, and the assistant officials of each department have been basically decided. The remaining low-ranking officials will be handled by the Ministry of Personnel.

Both chief clerks in the Prince of Cheng's mansion were given important positions, with Yi Ming appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War. This was a deliberate arrangement by Wang Zhi and others who understood Zhu Qiyu's intentions.

Yang Zhu, on the other hand, was rightfully appointed as the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites based on his extensive experience.

Other officials in the Prince's Palace were not yet qualified to be recommended by the court, and Zhu Qiyu could not be too greedy, lest he arouse the dissatisfaction of the court officials.

The primary method of selecting officials this time was to choose from the capital and surrounding prefectures.

As for those in Nanjing, Zhu Qiyu, after discussing with Wang Zhi and others, decided not to conscript them.

Because of the long journey, these officials might take their time to take up their posts, and the war might already be over before they even reach the capital. What we need now are people to get things done, not anything else.

Many of the officials below were delighted to hear Zhu Qiyu's words; who wouldn't want to be promoted?

These job transfers have been an open secret for the past few days. Some officials have been called up to take up their posts even before their official appointment documents have been issued, especially in the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue, which are in dire need of personnel.

Wang Zhi then added: "Some officials below the fifth rank are probationary or acting officials. The court will conduct further assessments, and those who are competent will be officially appointed."

The ministers had no objections, because some of them were not qualified enough to begin with, and their temporary promotion lacked confidence. The ministers all knew that as long as they worked together to protect the capital, the official appointment would come naturally.

After seeing that the Ministry of Personnel had made the arrangements, Zhu Qiyu looked directly at Chen Xun.

"Minister Chen!"

Chen Xun's face was extremely grim. The Ministry of Revenue had countless matters to attend to. He had thought that grain was the most troublesome issue, but now there were many more.

"Your Highness, the Ministry of Revenue is still short of supplies. According to preliminary statistics, if all the loyalist troops come, they can only supply for one month. Currently, there are no supplies left to be requisitioned in the surrounding counties. Too many people have fled, resulting in a shortage of laborers. I have ordered the prefectures and counties on both sides of the canal to organize laborers to send supplies immediately. However, the canal is currently overloaded due to the large number of people fleeing south, which is slowing down the progress."

Zhu Qiyu approved of the Ministry of Revenue's approach, as water transport was currently the most efficient and convenient method of transportation. However, he had also learned of another situation and changed the subject, asking, "I have heard that many officials and gentry in the capital are hoarding goods, and some are even using this to inflate prices and profit from it. Is this true?"

Zhu Qiyu hated those who profited from the country's misfortune the most; he feared that killing a few would not deter them.

Upon hearing this, many officials dared not look Zhu Qiyu in the eye. Although they had not profited from the national crisis, they had participated in hoarding supplies.

Chen Xun could only bite the bullet and say, "It is true!"

"Is there a charter?"

"Your Highness, I originally intended to forcibly conscript, but I was worried that it would cause a popular uprising. The capital is already in chaos, and if another popular uprising were to occur, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"In times of national crisis, hesitation will inevitably lead to chaos!" A ruthless glint flashed in Zhu Qiyu's eyes. "Whether officials, gentry, or ordinary citizens in the capital, everyone is only allowed to stockpile supplies for four months. Any remaining supplies will be forcibly requisitioned by the Ministry of Revenue, registered, and replenished after the war. If the capital cannot be defended, no matter how much supplies are stockpiled, it will only be providing provisions for the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, the ministers were shocked and immediately understood Zhu Qiyu's meaning: he was going to burn his bridges.

It is estimated that three months later, when the weather turns extremely cold and snow falls, if the Oirat cannot break through the capital, they will have no choice but to retreat. Otherwise, in the freezing cold, they will be left alone outside the city, and the Oirat may very well perish here.

As long as the Oirat forces retreat, the capital can replenish its supplies in time to weather the crisis.

If the city falls, no matter how much is prepared, it will all belong to the Oirat Mongols. The ministers had no choice but to admit that Zhu Qiyu's words made sense.

However, people are selfish and afraid of offending many colleagues if they speak rashly, so they did not respond directly to Zhu Qiyu for the time being.

Just as the officials hesitated, Zhu Qiyu directly ordered: "Minister Jiang, you are hereby given the imperial decree and are instructing Baoding Prefecture to cooperate with you in clearing the northern section of the Grand Canal. If anyone obstructs you, you may act as you see fit. As long as it does not cause chaos throughout the land, I will bear all the blame!"

Jiang Yuan, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, never expected to be given such an important responsibility so soon after taking office. He did not hesitate, however, as this was the best opportunity to demonstrate his abilities. With such a reliable leader, how could he not serve wholeheartedly?

"Your subject obeys!"

Zhu Qiyu turned to Chen Xun and said, "The matter of conscripting officials from the capital is of utmost urgency. If any unscrupulous merchants cause trouble, disregard their identities. I have also granted you the royal command and banner, allowing you to execute first and report later. Execute the ringleaders immediately and hang their heads in the city gates to deter any petty scoundrels!"

"Here you go!"

"You no longer need to concern yourself with the matter of transporting grain from Tongzhou," Zhu Qiyu said, looking at Zhou Chen, the Vice Minister of Works. "Vice Minister Zhou, now that you have returned to the capital, you should assist Minister Yu in transporting the grain from Tongzhou to the capital as soon as possible."

"Here you go!"

Zhou Chen, the financial expert of the Ming Dynasty, had been working tirelessly for the Ming Dynasty's tax system and only returned to Beijing yesterday.

Zhu Qiyu's ideal candidate for Minister of Revenue was this man, but due to the rules of the Taizu Emperor, people from areas with high tax revenue were not allowed to hold important positions in the Ministry of Revenue. Zhou Chen was from Jiangxi, so he could not be appointed to the Ministry of Revenue, but he did all the work of the Ministry of Revenue throughout his life, which made him an anomaly among Ming Dynasty officials.

Upon hearing that Zhou Chen would assist him, Yu Qian was overjoyed. He exchanged a glance with Zhou Chen and finally managed a slight smile.

Zhou Chen dared not hesitate and hurriedly accepted the order.

"Minister Yu!"

Yu Qian's expression turned serious.

"Your Highness, the nearest reinforcements will arrive in the capital as early as tomorrow, while the troops in Nanjing will likely need more than a month. As for the grain transport from Tongzhou, I have already requisitioned 500 grain transport wagons from Shuntian Prefecture and more than 200 civilian wagons from the capital, which will be transported day and night. Once the grain transport troops from Beizhili arrive in the capital tomorrow, with the assistance of other troops, I am confident that most of the grain from Tongzhou will be transported to the capital within half a month."

Upon hearing this, the ministers were greatly encouraged.

Zhu Qiyu's expression softened slightly; finally, there was good news, and he hadn't entrusted the task to the wrong person. While prices in the capital were soaring, grain prices only rose for two or three days before stopping, demonstrating Yu Qian's exceptional abilities.

Yu Qian was no moral gentleman; he had ordered the killing of many people in the past few days. Zhu Qiyu suppressed all the memorials impeaching Yu Qian. A person who is ruthless cannot stand.

"Minister Yu, you must ensure that all the grain from Tongzhou is transported to the capital. Send people from all the armies that come to support the emperor to urge them on. If there is any further delay, hold their superiors accountable."

"Your subject obeys!"

No sooner had Yu Qian finished speaking than Li Kan, a supervising secretary of the Ministry of Revenue, suddenly spoke up: "Your Highness, I believe that officials from the capital should be dispatched to Beizhili, Shandong, Henan, Shanxi, and Shaanxi to select and train local militia, five thousand men from each prefecture. Once they are properly trained and ready for use, two thousand men should be selected to go to the capital to be dispatched to kill the bandits."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Qiyu glanced at the man in surprise; this was a good suggestion.

The original reserve army has been transferred to Beijing and become a regular army, so it is indeed necessary to increase the reserve army to prepare for any eventuality.

"What do you all think of this proposal?"

"We second that proposal!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Qian petitioned, "Your Highness, I believe it is advisable to send an imperial censor to recruit able-bodied men and organize an army to reinforce the capital."

Zhu Qiyu pondered for a moment, then stared intently at Yu Qian. This was not a good idea. The next step was for civil officials to lead and command the army.

The censors were responsible for recruiting soldiers, while the organization and command of the army were naturally left to the military officials.

"Minister Yu, select suitable military officers from the capital garrison to accompany you. The censor is not skilled in training troops and may cause problems!"

Yu Qian was startled, and felt a chill run down his spine.

Many officials lowered their heads slightly upon hearing this, not daring to look directly at Zhu Qiyu, while the imperial son-in-law Jiao Jing breathed a sigh of relief.

"Here you go!"