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

After Wang Dehua left, Sun Chengzong's throat bobbed, as if he wanted to say something, but ultimately gave up...

Noticing the change in Sun Chengzong's demeanor, Zhu Jian asked, "Grand Secretary Sun, what do you want to say?"

"I believe that the position of Supervising Secretary was intended to prevent the Six Ministries from seizing power. Now that it is controlled by the Directorate of Ceremonial, is it... is it..." Sun Chengzong feared that Wang Dehua would become the next Wei Zhongxian...

"Doesn't Grand Secretary Sun think the system of censors is somewhat redundant?" Prosecutor Zhu never intended to control the censors indefinitely; he wanted to abolish them, but it needed to be done gradually...

Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua were taken aback upon hearing this, staring intently at Prosecutor Zhu for a long time in silence.

"The position of Censor has now become a tool for factional strife and has lost its original purpose!" Sun Chengzong said leisurely.

He discovered this when he was in charge of the military affairs in Liaodong, but at that time he was a nobody and his voice carried little weight, and as an outsider, he could not influence the court's decisions at all.

"The Censorate was established by Emperor Taizu, so let's leave it as it is for now!" Zhu Jian didn't have enough grounds to negate Zhu Yuanzhang's system, so he could only take a shortcut. Since it couldn't be completely abolished, he would replace them all with his own people and use it for the time being.

"Since you two have no objections to the appointment of these more than three hundred officials, then approve them all in the name of the Military and Political Bureau!" Inspector Zhu was acting expediently in this urgent situation and simply did not have the time to investigate each one. Since they were recommended by the governors of various provinces, they must be more comfortable using them.

Prosecutor Zhu wasn't that averse to nepotism. If he didn't appoint relatives, would he appoint strangers? Would he specifically appoint officials he didn't know to oppose him? Those who claim to appoint based on merit have never actually held any real power.

Understanding the composition of power only stems from superficial phenomena. As for loyal ministers and treacherous ministers, sometimes it's beyond their control. Compared to corrupt officials who can prevent 100,000 people from starving and maintain local order, Zhu Jian despised honest officials who only talked the talk. Although they didn't embezzle silver, 100,000 people starved to death and local order collapsed. The losses caused directly exceeded the amount of silver they embezzled. They didn't embezzle a single tael of silver, but caused the country to lose a million taels of silver. It would have been better to embezzle 200,000 taels and save 800,000 taels of silver.

In Zhu Jian’s eyes, social (power) stability is the most important thing. That kind of black-and-white thinking is not suitable for people who hold power, especially emperors who hold absolute power.

"Your Majesty, we obey!" Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua stood up and bowed.

Just then, a young eunuch rushed into the Wuying Hall: "Your Majesty, an urgent memorial has been sent by Hong Chengchou!"

Zhu Jian stepped forward, picked up the memorial, and began to read it. The more he read, the more his brows furrowed. He then handed the memorial to Sun Chengzong: "Who ordered Hong Chengchou to send troops to Pingliang to fight Li Zicheng?"

The memorial stated that Hong Chengchou dispatched He Renlong and Qin Liangyu's son, Ma Xianglin, to Pingliang to fight against Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai. They killed 7,000 enemies but suffered 2,000 casualties themselves, achieving a great victory.

After reading it, Sun Chengzong handed it to Li Banghua, saying with slight surprise, "Hong Chengchou has achieved a great victory! Why then does Your Majesty still..." Sun Chengzong felt that Zhu Jian's old problem of distrust had resurfaced, and he was beginning to suspect Hong Chengchou...

Li Banghua, after reading the memorial, was also surprised by the emperor's reaction and stared intently at Zhu Jian.

"My appointment of Hong Chengchou as commander-in-chief of Qin Liangyu and Shaanxi Governor Zheng Chongjian was intended to keep Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai confined to Shaanxi, preventing them from entering the province to engage in battle!"

Then Chief Prosecutor Zhu sighed, "How much money and grain would Li Zicheng's seven thousand men need? Hong Chengchou may have eliminated seven thousand men, but he also reduced the consumption of Li Zicheng's seven thousand men and strengthened the hostility of Li Zicheng's troops towards the Ming army!"

Upon hearing Zhu Jian's words, Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua stared wide-eyed at him. They had never imagined Zhu Jian would see things from this perspective, and they felt increasingly unable to understand the emperor before them...

"Then... Hong Chengchou..." Sun Chengzong was at a loss as to how to handle the matter.

"Your Majesty, the memorial also mentioned that when Li Zicheng besieged Pingliang Prefecture, Prince Su and the Prefect of Pingliang requested reinforcements from Hong Chengchou. The two sides cooperated from within and without, and defeated Li Zicheng! Now Li Zicheng has retreated westward to rest for the time being!" Li Banghua said from the side.

Zhu Jian knew that Li Zicheng was massacring the city. As the guardians of social order, the Ming army had the responsibility and obligation to protect the people. However, Zhu Jian could not protect everyone at the moment. He could only abandon some of the people and use public opinion and money to wear down Li Zicheng. If Li Zicheng dared to massacre the city, he would be cutting off the world! From speaking out for the common people and being the embodiment of justice, he had become a warlord and bandit. At that time, coupled with the lack of food and supplies, Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai would soon collapse.

After pondering for a moment, Zhu Jian said, "Alright, it's a victory after all! Promote Ma Xianglin to General of Hanzhong, and raise He Renlong's rank by one level! The remaining officers and soldiers will be rewarded according to their military merits!"

"Your Majesty is wise!" Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua said in unison. They were really afraid that the emperor would punish the Shaanxi army, which would not only chill Hong Chengchou's heart, but also the soldiers' hearts.

"In the name of the Military and Political Bureau, issue a military order to Hong Chengchou! Instruct him to relocate all the people and garrison troops of Pingliang Prefecture to Xi'an Prefecture! Hong Chengchou's troops shall retreat to Xi'an! Qin Liangyu shall remain stationed in Hanzhong to prevent the two bandits from infiltrating Sichuan, and Shaanxi Governor Zheng Chongjian shall continue to garrison Tongguan to prevent the two bandits from infiltrating Henan and Shanxi! Hong Chengchou shall be reassigned as the Governor-General of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Sichuan Provinces, in charge of the Northwest!"

He paused, then continued, "Tell Hong Chengchou that his mission is to suppress Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai's forces in northern Shaanxi and surrounding areas, not to annihilate them!"

Now that Shaanxi Province is suffering from a major disaster, Zhu Jian plans to suppress Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai here. On the one hand, this will reduce the amount of money and food needed for the imperial court's expeditions, and on the other hand, it will take advantage of the natural disaster to deplete Li Zicheng's resources. After all, Li Zicheng only occupies the three prefectures and three guards in northern Shaanxi. As long as the two bandits are trapped in Shaanxi, it will be a victory for the imperial court.

"Your Majesty, wouldn't that mean Li Zicheng has essentially occupied northern Shaanxi and other areas? If he were to declare himself king or emperor, it would be detrimental to the court!" Sun Chengzong insisted on pursuing and suppressing Li Zicheng and Luo Rucai to prevent them from becoming too powerful!

Zhu Jian waved his hand dismissively and said, "Let him call himself whatever he wants; it's just a title!"

Zhu Jian actually wished Li Zicheng would declare himself king or emperor, so that Li Zicheng would have an obligation to help the local people. If he dared not to help them, he would lose the support of the people and it would be wishful thinking for him to leave Shaanxi again.

With the balance of power shifting, Li Zicheng simply couldn't outlast the imperial court, especially since Zhu Jian still had a considerable amount of money and grain seized from confiscated property...

"As you command!" Sun Chengzong said, bowing.

Sun Chengzong and Li Banghua realized that the emperor no longer cared about saving face and was now more concerned with practical matters, which was a good sign...