Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

More than a month later.

Before the first month of the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign had even passed, Zhu Jian led a large army to Nanyang and temporarily stationed there.

Hong Chengchou lifted the tent flap and slowly walked into the main tent: "Your Majesty, Yang Guozhu's 20,000 troops in Kaifeng are still three days away from Nanyang!"

"We'll join forces and set off after he arrives in Nanyang!"

Zhu Jian mobilized more than 70,000 Central Army troops, preparing to suddenly encircle Gucheng.

As for Xiong Wencan and Zuo Liangyu in Xiangyang, Zhu Jian had no intention of letting them participate in this matter. He would settle accounts with them after Zhang Xianzhong was wiped out!

Just then, an urgent cry rang out from outside the tent: "Urgent report from Tongguan!"

"read!"

"Your Majesty, I, Zheng Chongjian, the Governor of Shaanxi, report that on the third day of the first month of the twelfth year of the Chongzhen reign (1644), the Prince of Fu sent an envoy with 200,000 taels of silver to reward the troops garrisoning Tongguan. I hereby request Your Majesty's decision!"

After listening, Zhu Jian pondered for a moment and asked, "Chengchou, what do you think of this matter...?"

"It is a grave taboo for a prince to fund his army without authorization! I believe Prince Fu should be reprimanded!"

Hong Chengchou's response was based on the normal laws and ancestral precepts, which was the official answer. However, he felt that Zhu Jian's execution of the two princes of Jin and the removal of the two vassal states in Shanxi had frightened the Prince of Fu in Luoyang. Therefore, he hurriedly sent military pay to the Ming army closest to Luoyang to show his loyalty.

Upon hearing this, Zhu Jian stood with his hands behind his back and said enviously, "My uncle, the Prince of Fu, is quite wealthy. Back then, my imperial grandfather (Wanli) bestowed upon him 40,000 hectares (four million mu) of land, plus the salt and tea taxes from Sichuan and Henan... Isn't it said that the Prince of Fu owns half of the Ming Dynasty?"

Prince Fu and Emperor Chongzhen's father, Zhu Changluo, had a decades-long struggle over the succession to the throne. If it weren't for the incident of the club attack, he might not have gone to his fiefdom!

Even after taking up his fief, the rewards he received exceeded those of previous feudal kings.

For 30 years, Emperor Wanli neglected state affairs and ignored most of the memorials submitted by his ministers. However, he would respond to the memorials submitted by Prince Fu's family in the morning and grant them all their requests in the afternoon. This shows Emperor Wanli's affection for his third son.

Reading the implication in Zhu Jian's words, Hong Chengchou saw that Zhu Jian's admiration for the Prince of Fu was not respectful, but rather revealed a hint of coldness. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Fu is not like the Prince of Jin or the Prince of Dai. He must not be touched unless he has committed a serious crime!"

Zhu Jian nodded slightly. He understood what Hong Chengchou meant. The Prince of Fu was his father's half-uncle. If he killed his uncle without committing a serious crime, just for money, it would be considered to disregard human ethics in the Ming Dynasty at that time.

As for the Prince of Jin and the Prince of Dai, they are not really related. They belong to the same clan as the Taizu lineage, but they are not even considered descendants of Zhu Di... According to the rites and laws of the Han, Tang, and Song dynasties, they could have been stripped of their titles long ago.

During the reigns of Jiajing, Longqing, Wanli, Tianqi, and even the first ten years of Chongzhen's reign, ministers submitted memorials to reduce the tributes paid to princes. However, the methods were very mild, and the emperors' attitudes were unpredictable, causing all policies to become mere formalities.

Zhu Jian immediately executed the two princes and abolished the fiefdoms on the grounds of aiding the enemy. He didn't even bother to come up with a policy and directly stopped all the salaries of the princes. There was no resistance at all. Of course, if anyone objected, Zhu Jian would let the objectors talk to his sword. As long as he controlled the army and the finances, these princes would not be able to cause any trouble.

"Prince Fu is my own uncle. How can I, as his nephew, harm my own uncle?"

"Not only Prince Fu, but also Prince Rui of Hanzhong, Prince Hui of Jingzhou, and Prince Gui of Hengzhou are all my uncles!"

Zhu Jian meant that, apart from the Wanli Emperor's own sons, all the other princes could be killed or dismissed, especially those from Zhu Yuanzhang's lineage, whose lineage had been established for too long and whose descendants were far too numerous to be compared to those princes who had been enfeoffed for less than thirty years.

Although he wasn't killed, it didn't mean Zhu Jian would still be as lenient as before. If anyone dared to raise an army, he would still kill them without hesitation! Prince Han, Zhu Gaoxu, was the younger brother of Zhu Zhanji's father, Zhu Gaochi, and also Zhu Zhanji's uncle. Wasn't he also made into a clay pot chicken?

"Your Majesty is wise!" After saying this, Hong Chengchou glanced at Zhu Jian a few more times. He felt that the emperor was now like a completely different person; he couldn't see through him at all...

"Here's what we'll do: reply to Zheng Chongjian, the governor of Shaanxi. Since the Prince of Fu is so kind, we should accept it. We should distribute all the military pay and rewards to the 20,000 soldiers under his command, train another 10,000 new soldiers, purchase more grain, and keep a close watch on Li Zicheng at Tongguan until he is defeated!"

After saying that, Zhu Jian looked at Hong Chengchou and asked, "Is there any news about Qin Liangyu's military pay in Hanzhong? Has Uncle Rui lent it to her?"

"I borrowed some grain and 20,000 taels of silver!"

"The military pay for Qin Liangyu's 20,000 soldiers is sufficient for the time being!"

After listening, Zhu Jian nodded slightly: "There's no need to reprimand Prince Fu. Perhaps he has sent a letter to the capital, but we haven't received it yet! As for Qin Liangyu, send another imperial edict, instructing her to go to Prince Rui again to borrow 30,000 shi of grain and 20,000 taels of silver for military expenses to suppress bandits!"

Zhu Jian said it was a loan, but he had no intention of repaying it. He borrowed it on his own merit, so why should he repay it?

"As you command!"

.......

Zhu Jian was stationed in Nanyang for three days, during which time he did not discover any major wrongdoing by the Prince of Tang or the Prefect of Nanyang, which left him with no pretext to execute people...

Fortunately, General Yang Guozhu arrived in Nanyang from Kaifeng today, which stopped Zhu Jian from his plan to kill someone.

Inside the large tent, the charcoal fire crackled and popped!

Zhu Jian, along with military and political ministers Hong Chengchou, General Cao Bianjiao, Zhou Yuji, Gao Jie, Liu Guoneng, Meng Ruhu, He Renlong, and Yang Guozhu, gathered around the stove.

Zhu Jian sat on a wooden stump, while the others stood to one side. A map was placed in front of them.

Zhu Jian marked the location of Gucheng on the map with a circle in red pen.

"Zhang Xianzhong has over ten thousand men in Gucheng! To the south are mountains! There are three roads surrounding it: one leads west to Sichuan, one southeast to Jingzhou, and one east to Xiangyang!"

Having said that, Zhu Jian, holding a dry tree branch, pointed to the map: "Yang Guozhu has led ten thousand soldiers to ambush on the road west of Gucheng! Near Yangpi Beach!"

"Zhou Yuji, fierce as a tiger, surround Gucheng from the west! Gao Jie, Liu Guoneng, surround Gucheng from the east! Cao Bianjiao, He Renlong, depart with my central army!"

"Does anyone have any further objections?"

Upon hearing the battle plan, the people around exchanged bewildered glances. After a moment, Cao Bianjiao stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, didn't Zhang Xianzhong surrender?"

The others nodded slightly, echoing Cao Bianjiao's sentiments.

"Zhang Xianzhong feigned surrender but refused to accept Xiong Wencan's reorganization in Gucheng. I am determined to eliminate him!"

"Your Majesty is right. If they truly surrender to the court, their troops will definitely be reorganized. But refusing to reorganize without even discussing the conditions is definitely a feigned surrender!" Liu Guoneng said.

Zhu Jian said in a deep voice, "Gao Jie and Guo Neng also came from the peasant army. They fought alongside me against the Qing army in Shuntian until now, so I should naturally give them important positions and trust them. But Zhang Xianzhong is different! He has feigned surrender many times before, and this time, after surrendering last year, he still refuses to accept reorganization!"

He paused, then continued, "After the army has surrounded the city, those who wish to leave and accept reorganization will be rewarded by me. Those who refuse will be annihilated on the spot!"

The others understood as well, and without saying much, they all said in unison, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Attached is a picture!