The Ming Dynasty: Starting with Emperor Chongzhen's crackdown on factionalism

It's just that the open competition has turned into covert struggle.

The Donglin Party began to split, with the Zhejiang Party, the Chu Party, and the Qi Party rising again, and the various factions fighting and checking each other.

Emperor Zhu Youjian sat on this volcano.

He thought he was in control of the whole situation, but in reality, he was just a pawn in the power struggle between various forces.

Do not--

Chen Zhiyuan shook his head.

Zhu Youjian wasn't even a chess piece.

He is the chessboard.

On a chessboard, each side can place their pieces at will. Seemingly in the center, one is actually the most passive.

This is the current state of affairs in the Ming Dynasty.

The emperor was diligent in his duties, but he was diligent in the wrong direction.

The ministers were locked in a fierce infighting, fighting to the death.

The border defenses are corrupt, rotten to the core.

The finances collapsed, beyond repair.

The root of all this, besides the system and natural disasters, is more importantly the human heart.

People's hearts have fallen apart.

The scholar-officials no longer considered the world their responsibility, nor did they care about the people's livelihood.

What they were thinking about was how to choose the right side in the factional struggle, how to profit in the power struggle, and how to preserve their wealth and status.

country?

That belongs to the emperor.

common people?

Those are ants.

What does it matter if the Ming Dynasty falls, as long as one's own interests are not harmed?

Just get a new emperor, and you can continue being an official.

Chen Zhiyuan thought of the Ming Dynasty officials who surrendered to the Qing Dynasty in later generations.

They knelt before their new master, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and completely forgot their former loyalty.

It's not that they are inherently shameless.

This kind of mentality, this mentality of "those who know when to yield are the heroes," has long been ingrained in our very being.

Just then, the door to the main room was pushed open.

Huang Daozhou walked in and saw Chen Zhiyuan sitting there, and was taken aback.

"Brother Yichen..." he hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

Chen Zhiyuan raised his head: "Brother Youxuan."

Huang Daozhou walked over, sat down opposite him, remained silent for a moment, and said in a low voice, "I've heard about what happened just now."

Chen Zhiyuan nodded without saying anything.

"You..." Huang Daozhou looked at him, "Are you really sure?"

"What makes you so confident?"

"About the Shanxi merchants," Huang Daozhou said, his voice even lower.

"If no evidence is found, you are doomed."

Chen Zhiyuan smiled and said, "Brother Youxuan, do you think I'm the kind of person who speaks carelessly?"

Huang Daozhou shook his head: "You're not. But..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "The political situation in the court is very complex. Some things are not as simple as right or wrong."

"What is that?" Chen Zhiyuan asked.

"It's a serious matter," Huang Daozhou sighed.

"Brother Yichen, you've been in the Hanlin Academy for a long time and haven't been to other places, so you don't know what's going on outside. You probably can't imagine how powerful the Shanxi merchants are in Shanxi and Xuanda."

How big is it?

"Let me put it this way," Huang Daozhou leaned closer, "You know Wang Chengyin, the General of Xuanfu, right?"

Chen Zhiyuan nodded.

Commander-in-Chief of Xuanfu, a second-rank military officer, and the commander-in-chief of one of the nine important border towns.

"Wang Chengyin's wife's surname is Wang," Huang Daozhou said. "She and Wang Dengku are from the same clan."

Chen Zhiyuan's pupils contracted.

"Wang Pu, the general of Datong, also had the surname Wang," Huang Daozhou continued.

"Although we are not from the same branch as Wang Dengku, we are both from the Wang clan of Shanxi, and we can be traced back to each other in the genealogy."

"Anything else?"

"After assuming office last year, the first person Geng Ruqi, the governor of Shanxi, visited was Fan Yongdou."

Huang Daozhou's voice was barely audible.

"Not many people know about this, but I have a classmate who worked in the Shanxi Provincial Administration Commission and witnessed it firsthand."

Chen Zhiyuan fell silent.

He knew, of course, that Shanxi merchants had influence in the region, but he didn't expect their influence to be this great.

General-in-Chief and Governor-General—these are all high-ranking officials who govern a region, local lords.

They were all connected to Shanxi merchants.

What about the central government?

Who stands behind those officials who speak up for Shanxi merchants?

"So Brother Youxuan is advising me to stop?" Chen Zhiyuan asked.

Huang Daozhou shook his head: "I'm not advising you to stop, I'm just reminding you to be careful."

"Your investigation of Shanxi merchants this time didn't just target a few merchants, but an entire network."

"This network stretches from Shanxi all the way to Beijing, from the local areas to the imperial court. If you pull a single thread, the whole network will vibrate."

Chen Zhiyuan certainly knew.

But he had to pull it.

Because if we don't pull it now, we won't be able to pull it later.

When this net is woven even tighter and stronger, to the point that even the emperor cannot move it, then the Ming Dynasty will truly be finished.

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Youxuan," Chen Zhiyuan said, bowing slightly. "But my mind is made up."

Huang Daozhou looked at him for a long time, and finally sighed.

"Brother Yichen, take care."

After saying that, he got up and left.

Chen Zhiyuan sat there, continuing to organize his thoughts.

Huang Daozhou was right; the Shanxi merchants were a network.

But this net is not as unbreakable as it will be in later generations.

In the third year of the Chongzhen Emperor's reign, these merchants were still just merchants.

They have money and connections, but they are not powerful enough to influence the government.

Their backers were mainly local officials, military officers, and officials who needed them to provide salaries and bribe them.

Their influence in the government is limited.

This is why, on the platform today, most of those speaking up for Shanxi merchants are mid-level officials of the third or fourth rank.

The cabinet ministers and the six ministers, these real bigwigs, remained silent.

Cheng Jiming didn't speak, Zhou Yanru didn't speak, and neither did Wang Yongguang, the Minister of Personnel, Bi Ziyan, the Minister of Revenue, or Liang Tingdong, the Minister of War.

They are either observing or weighing their options.

What does this tell us?

This shows that the Shanxi merchants' influence in the imperial court was not deep enough.

This means that if we act now, there is still a chance.

Chen Zhiyuan spread out a piece of paper and began to write.

He wanted to draw out the network of relationships among the Shanxi merchants, clarify their business connections, and list out all the crimes they might be involved in.

This wasn't for Zhu Youjian to see; it was for him to see himself.

He needs to clarify his thoughts and find a breakthrough.

As I was writing, a bell suddenly rang outside.

It was the sound of the bell in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, urgent and heavy.

Chen Zhiyuan raised his head.

At this time, the bell rings for only one reason—

The emperor urgently summoned his ministers.

It was because of the military situation in Shanxi.

He put down his pen and walked to the window.

Through the window, one could see officials hurrying toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony, their faces grave.

It seems that news of the bandits entering Shanxi has already spread.

Chen Zhiyuan returned to his seat and continued writing.

With the military situation in Shanxi urgent, Zhu Youjian certainly couldn't afford to concern himself with the affairs of the Shanxi merchants right now.

He had to deal with the bandits, mobilize troops, raise funds, and pacify the local area.

This is both a good thing and a bad thing for Chen Zhiyuan.

The good thing is that the emperor won't be watching him for the time being, giving him more time to prepare.

The bad thing is that if the situation in Shanxi deteriorates, Zhu Youjian might postpone the matter of the Shanxi merchants, or even choose to compromise in order to stabilize the region.

After all, Shanxi merchants wield enormous power in Shanxi, and taking action against them at this time could trigger even greater turmoil.

What will Zhu Youjian choose?

Chen Zhiyuan didn't know.

He could only wait.

We await the results of Luo Yangxing's investigation, Zhu Youjian's decision, and the course of history.

But waiting is not his style.

He has to do something.

Chen Zhiyuan looked at the eight names on the paper, his eyes gradually hardening.

These people must die.

It wasn't because he hated them, but because they had to die.