My father is Chongzhen? Then I have no choice but to rebel.

Chapter 258 Oh no! The Korean envoy and the Jurchen hostages have started fighting!

Meanwhile, Mao Wenlong's three sons expressed their gratitude profusely and then stepped aside.

Immediately afterwards, Grand Secretary Xue Guoguan handed over another list, which contained the names of some generals who were preparing to be stationed in North Korea.

This list was the final personnel list decided by the cabinet and Zhu Cilang. Chongzhen had already seen it before, so he naturally had no objections and subsequently agreed.

Thus, the matter of stationing troops in Korea was finally preliminarily settled, and all that was left was for these generals to arrive in the capital and assemble before heading to Korea.

Moreover, the army had to arrive in Korea by the end of October, because if it was past October, heavy snow would fall in the north, making it much more difficult for the army to set off.

In addition, the navy stationed in Korea this time will not need to be recruited again, because these generals will bring a portion of the navy with them when they come, plus the 5,000 navy that Zheng Zhilong promised, for a total of more than 30,000 people.

Once the army arrives in Korea, they will recruit another batch of Koreans, bringing the total strength to around 50,000.

These 50,000 men were a thorn in the side of the Ming Dynasty, constantly threatening the Jurchens and preventing them from arbitrarily invading Liaodong.

In addition, this army had another function: to lay the groundwork for a future invasion of Japan!

After all, as a time traveler, Zhu Cilang could never let Japan go.

After dealing with the Jurchens, his next target was Japan!
Centuries later, that tragedy that once occurred in China will absolutely never happen again!
He wants to completely and utterly destroy Japan!
In September in Beijing, the air was still thick with the sticky heat of summer. The leaves of the old locust tree drooped listlessly, and even the cicadas' chirping sounded somewhat weary.

On such a sweltering day, more than 20,000 canal workers arrived in the capital like a swarm of migrating ants.

They carried simple bedding rolls and gleaming pickaxes and shovels, walking along the dusty official road. Their coarse cloth shirts were soaked with sweat and clung to their dark, muscular backs. Every face was etched with exhaustion, yet also revealed a faint yearning for a living.

These 20,000-plus canal workers were all strong men aged 20 to 40, the age when they were at their strongest and most efficient.

As for the other canal workers, they can only wait until next year when cement roads begin to be built nationwide before they can go to Beijing.

The officials in the Ministry of Works were well aware of the situation. After all, the road construction was extremely tight, and all the roads had to be completed before the snow fell this year. Otherwise, if the roads were blocked by ice and snow, all the projects would have to be halted.

In order to complete the task before the snowfall, it was natural to choose these young and strong laborers.

The Ministry of Revenue had already made appropriate arrangements, and the houses outside the city that had previously housed disaster victims were now being cleared out for the canal workers to live in.

As the canal workers gradually arrived, the capital city seemed to transform into a giant construction site overnight.

In accordance with the previous plan, the Ministry of Works erected eye-catching notice boards on all the main roads of the capital and used heavy bamboo fences to completely enclose the construction area.

Because the Da Ming Daily has been promoting the benefits of road construction on its front page every day recently, even though people's travel has been affected to some extent, they haven't made much of a fuss because they see the advertisements in the newspaper and think about the smooth and wide roads that will be available in the future.

In addition, some roads are too narrow and need to be widened, which means that houses and shops on both sides of the road have to be demolished.

Initially, the people involved inevitably resisted, after all, it was the place where their ancestors had lived for generations, or the place where they had worked hard to build their businesses, how could it be demolished just like that?

This is absolutely unreasonable!

The imperial court naturally took this into account, so the compensation offered this time was quite generous.

With gleaming silver coins placed on the table, and officials patiently explaining that road construction was a major undertaking that would benefit future generations, many people put aside their reservations.

Most of the residents and businesses involved in the demolition and relocation made a fortune!
The silver given by the imperial court was enough for them to buy two more houses or shops of the same size.

For example, Old Li, who lived in a certain alley, used to make a living by running a dilapidated little shop. But because the shop was located at the intersection, it had to be demolished.

The imperial court actually gave 150 taels of silver as compensation for the demolition of a small shop!
After receiving the compensation, Old Li couldn't stop smiling.

Because his little shop was only bought for thirty taels of silver back then, but now it has increased fivefold!
This money is enough for him to buy another shop and live comfortably in his old age.

In no time, stories of people getting rich through demolition and relocation spread like wildfire in Beijing. People who had previously complained about road construction began to hope that such good things would happen to them.
In the following days, before dawn each day, as soon as the city gates of the capital opened, 20,000 canal workers, carrying their tools, hurried into the city and converged on various construction sites.

As the sun set and the afterglow stained the city walls blood red, they dragged their weary bodies and formed a long queue to return to their lodgings outside the city.

From a distance, the team looked like a long black dragon, shuttling between the capital and its suburbs day and night.

Of course, some people couldn't help but complain in private.

"Working like a slave in the city during the day and sleeping in a dilapidated house outside the city at night, this kind of life is really not fit for humans."

But even so, when he touched the money in his pocket, which was 30% more than usual for manual labor, he swallowed his complaints.

After all, these days, being able to have enough to eat and save some money to send home is already a great blessing.

Although Zhu Cilang had known about this matter for a long time, he was still somewhat uneasy about it.

Therefore, in his spare time, he would change into casual clothes and take people to the streets and alleys of the capital to see the progress of the project with his own eyes.

The entire capital city was enveloped in a construction boom, with busy figures everywhere.

More than 23,000 craftsmen and canal workers were divided into hundreds of groups, working busily in their respective areas.

Someone swung a sledgehammer and smashed it hard against the rock, the loud thud making the ground tremble slightly.

Someone pushed a wheelbarrow loaded with stones through the narrow passage, the wheels creaking as they rolled over the gravel.

Others spread the mixed cement slurry evenly on the roadbed and smoothed it repeatedly with a wooden trowel. Sweat dripped onto the grayish-white cement surface and instantly evaporated into small white marks.

Looking at the bustling construction scene before him, Zhu Cilang felt both gratified and somewhat worried, and couldn't help but ask the accompanying Ministry of Works officials:

"At this rate, is it really possible to finish in two months?"

The official wiped the sweat rolling down his forehead and assured him:

"Your Highness! According to the Ministry of Works' estimates, it will take at most two months, and it will definitely be completed before the snowfall this year! If it is not completed, this humble servant is willing to accept punishment!"

He wasn't bragging. Although it was absurd to build a city road that could accommodate 1.2 million people in two months, don't forget that more than 23,000 people were working on it together!

Moreover, this was right under the emperor's nose, and the imperial court gave it the green light all the way, so the work efficiency was naturally beyond question.

Furthermore, when it came to the later stages and work needed to be rushed, the Ministry of Works would transfer more craftsmen from other places to work day and night, so two months should be enough time.

At the same time, Zhu Cilang nodded.

However, he then added:
“Road construction is a very strenuous job, so we must not skimp on the food for these laborers. We don’t expect them to have meat at every meal, but we must ensure they have at least one meal with meat a day!”

"Only when they are well-fed will they have the energy to work!"

Upon hearing this, the official quickly added:

"Your Highness, rest assured, the officials have already given instructions on this matter. We will have meat to eat every day. I guarantee it with my life!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Cilang was finally completely relieved.

Just as the road construction was in full swing, another issue arose.

The morning court session had just ended, and Zhu Cilang had barely returned to the Eastern Palace when Li Ruolian came to request an audience.

"Your Highness, the families of the Guan Ning cavalry are about to enter the capital; they are only thirty li away from the city!"

At that moment, Zhu Cilang was picking up his teacup to take a sip of tea when he heard this, and he didn't even bother to drink it anymore.

To be honest, he's been so busy lately that he almost forgot about it.

Does the Ministry of Revenue know about this?

Zhu Cilang hurriedly asked.

Li Ruolian composed herself and replied:

"The Ministry of Revenue is already aware of this and has begun dispatching officials to prepare for their arrival."

Zhu Cilang was relieved to hear this.

This group of people numbered around 50,000. The arrival of so many people in the capital at once would have presented a major challenge in terms of resettlement.

Fortunately, they didn't need to live in the capital, but in a new city outside the city.

However, the Ministry of Revenue still had to prepare new household registrations for them, since once they came to the capital, they would be residents of the capital and would find it difficult to return to Liaodong.

Meanwhile, the Guan Ning cavalry stationed near the capital also learned of this news.

When these soldiers heard that their families were coming from Liaodong, their eyes lit up with excitement, and some even had tears in their eyes. They immediately wanted to rush out to greet them.

Seeing this, Cao Bianjiao knew things were going badly. If these people were allowed to break out, who knew what kind of trouble they would cause?
Cao Bianjiao immediately led his personal guards, swords drawn, and stood at the entrance of the military camp.

His face was terribly grim, and he shouted at the crowd:
"Get back to your posts! Go back to what you were doing. Anyone who leaves the camp without permission will be executed!"

His voice resounded throughout the camp like a booming bell. Although the soldiers were anxious, they could only stop and turn back.

Cao Bianjiao was well aware of the soldiers' feelings, but if they were allowed to leave now, the camp would surely descend into chaos.

Therefore, he could only issue a military order forbidding anyone from going to greet their families without authorization. He then personally selected a team of well-trained soldiers to carry banners and go to greet the families of the Guan Ning cavalry.

It is also worth mentioning that the Guan Ning cavalry stationed near the capital now numbered not 10,000, but 5,000!

As for the remaining five thousand men, they were temporarily dispatched to the Xuanfu area to garrison.

However, the reason they were sent to Xuanfu was not to fight, but to keep them in a state of continuous combat effectiveness.

Zhu Cilang knew that the army, stationed in the capital for a long time, had few opportunities for actual combat besides drills. Over time, they would inevitably become lax and their combat effectiveness would gradually decline.

So, not long ago he issued an imperial edict stipulating that soldiers stationed in the capital must go to the Nine Garrisons for two months of garrison duty every so often.

This rotation system helps maintain the army's combat effectiveness.

Evening arrived quickly, and Li Ruolian rushed over again, bringing the latest news.

"Your Highness, the families of the Guan Ning cavalry have all arrived in the new city and have moved in smoothly under the guidance of the Ministry of Revenue officials."

Zhu Cilang wasn't too surprised to hear this, since everything was already prepared and the Ministry of Revenue was just going through the motions. If they didn't handle this properly, it would be a huge embarrassment for the Ministry. However, the thought of the new city where the families of the Guan Ning cavalry would be staying still made Zhu Cilang chuckle.

Because most of the houses they lived in were purchased with loans from the soldiers of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, and all of these loans were taken out by him, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty!

This means that he, the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty, had become the biggest creditor of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry!

In any case, the arrival of the families of the Guan Ning cavalry in the capital has completely won over the hearts of this army!

After all, ten thousand heavily armored cavalrymen are a formidable force at any time!

The next morning, after having breakfast, Zhu Cilang had someone summon Xia Dewu.

He needed to ask Xia Dewu about some things.

As soon as Xia Dewu entered the room, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed heavily.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

Zhu Cilang nodded slightly, gesturing for him to stand up, and then asked directly:

"How's it going with the sale of the shops in the new city that I asked you to do?"

Xia Dewu quickly stood up, his face beaming with excitement, and said:

"Your Highness, the shops in the two new cities are almost all sold! The total revenue is now over seven million taels of silver."

"Moreover, many businesses have already successfully moved into the new town, including silk shops, teahouses, taverns, and all sorts of other shops that have opened for business."

"I went to see it before, it was very lively!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of joy flashed in Zhu Cilang's eyes, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

After all, a city that is inhabited but has no commercial activity is like a city without a soul.

Now that the shops in the new town have been sold smoothly and the business is gradually prospering, this is exactly what he hoped for.

Just then, Zhu Cilang thought of something else and said to Xia Dewu:

"By the way, remember to open the Ming Dynasty state-run stores in the new city as well. This will make it more convenient for people to buy daily necessities and also help to better control prices in the new city."

Upon hearing this, Xia Dewu quickly smiled and said:

"Your Highness, rest assured! I had already thought of this, so I specifically reserved space for state-run stores."

"A large amount of supplies have already been delivered there today, and we can officially open for business tomorrow!"

Zhu Cilang looked at Xia Dewu and couldn't help but admire him inwardly:
Sure enough, smart people are easy to get along with. They can understand the intention behind things without needing to say much, and handle things properly.

Then Zhu Cilang added:
"Alright, I understand. You can go and get back to work now. If anything happens, come and tell me immediately."

Xia Dewu quickly bowed and said:

"I resign!"

He then turned and left the East Palace.

Zhu Cilang watched Xia Dewu's departing figure, his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

With the completion of major events such as building cement roads, resettling the families of the Guan Ning cavalry, and sending troops to garrison Korea, he felt that even the gloom that had been lingering in his heart had been swept away.

Once we get through this cold winter and the spring arrives next year, we will first gather a large army to wipe out Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, and then mobilize the entire nation to annihilate the Jurchens. Only then will he have truly saved the Ming Dynasty!

Thinking of this, his eyes gleamed with fervent light, as if he could already see the Ming Dynasty returning to its former glory.

In high spirits, he even began to hum a tune from later generations.

Just as Zhu Cilang was immersed in his beautiful dreams, a series of hurried and chaotic footsteps suddenly came from outside, as if someone was running wildly in a panic.

Immediately following was a shout.

"Your Highness! Your Highness! Something terrible has happened! They've started fighting!"

Before the words were even finished, Ma Bao had already run in, his face flushed red and purple, looking breathless.

Zhu Cilang was completely bewildered by Ma Bao's appearance and words.

Not
What does it mean to start a fight?

And who are they?
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang asked:
"Why are you in such a panic? Who's fighting with whom?"

Ma Bao, leaning against the doorframe, his chest heaving, gasped for breath, and then said intermittently:

"Korea. And the Jurchens!"

Zhu Cilang was even more bewildered upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "Wasn't Korea already thoroughly subdued by the Jurchens? How could they possibly be fighting again?"
Furthermore, such a major matter involving vassal states should, in principle, be reported by the Ministry of War or the Embroidered Uniform Guard. How could it be the turn of Ma Bao, a mere eunuch?

Just as Zhu Cilang was feeling somewhat puzzled, Ma Bao continued:

"They fought at the meeting place last night, and many people died!"

Zhu Cilang was somewhat speechless.

It turns out that all this commotion wasn't between Korea and the Jurchens, but rather between the Korean envoys and the Jurchen hostages sent to the capital.

Then, through Ma Bao's narration, Zhu Cilang finally understood what had happened.

During the Ming Dynasty, although the Honglu Temple was the main government office for receiving foreign envoys, these foreign envoys did not stay at the Honglu Temple, but rather at the Huitong Hall.

The Huitong Hall was divided into two sections, north and south, with six rooms in the north and three rooms in the south, used to receive different foreign envoys.

The hostage sent by the Jurchens, namely Huang Taiji's son Yebushu, lived in the north wing of the Huitongguan.

Although these people were being treated as hostages, the Ming Dynasty, upholding the standards of a nation of etiquette, made proper arrangements for their food, clothing, lodging, and transportation, and did not deliberately make things difficult for them.

Even so, these Jurchen envoys dared to stay at home and rarely went out. Every time they went out, the sharp gazes and whispers of the people on the street made them feel like they had thorns in their backs.

Over time, they came up with a plan: to hide their distinctive money-tail hats in their hats, change into loose Han Chinese clothing, and disguise themselves as ordinary merchants, so that they would dare to occasionally walk around the streets of the capital.

When Zhu Cilang learned of this, he simply laughed it off and didn't bother with them.

After all, this is the capital city, and their every move is under the close surveillance of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so he doesn't need to worry about it at all.

Not long ago, the Korean envoys arrived in the capital, so the officials of the Court of State Ceremonies also housed them in the Huitong Hall.

However, the officials of the Court of State Ceremonial were well aware of the long-standing feud between the two sides, so they made special arrangements for them to be placed separately.

The Jurchen hostages lived in the North Hall, while the Korean envoys lived in the South Hall.

The two sides were several miles apart, and they thought that this would allow them to live in peace.

But who could have imagined it?

Within a few days, they became aware of each other's existence.

Although the Jurchens were sent to the capital as hostages, they still looked down on the Korean envoys from the bottom of their hearts.

In their eyes, Korea was nothing but a defeated enemy, and even the king had already bowed down to them. What kind of trouble could these Korean envoys possibly cause?
However, the attitude of the Korean envoys was completely different. They had long been oppressed by the Jurchens in their homeland, and dared not speak out against them. But now that they were in the territory of the Ming Dynasty and had the support of the Celestial Empire, they immediately stood up and started picking fights with the Jurchens every few days.

At first, the two sides just exchanged sarcastic remarks and insults. After all, they had to give the host some face on Ming territory.

But as the conflict escalated, pushing and shoving became commonplace.

The officials of the Court of State Ceremonial were constantly on edge, rushing to mediate at the slightest sign of trouble.

Fortunately, although both sides were furious, they still maintained some restraint. Each conflict resulted in minor injuries, such as missing limbs, and no one was killed.

But who would have thought that last night, for some reason, they suddenly used the real thing!

When the Imperial Guards arrived, a large number of people were already lying on the ground. In the end, the conflict resulted in ten deaths and more than thirty injuries.

After hearing these words, Zhu Cilang was speechless for a moment.

He never expected that these counterfeiters would dare to cause such a commotion right under the emperor's nose.

It should be noted that the capital city has always been known for its good public security, and fights are extremely rare. The fact that dozens of people have been killed or injured at once is quite a major event!
Immediately afterwards, Zhu Cilang asked:
"What did the Court of State Ceremonial say?"

Ma Bao shrank his neck and replied:

"The Court of State Ceremonial detained the people overnight. They were originally going to be handed over to the Embroidered Uniform Guard or the Court of Judicial Review, but neither the Embroidered Uniform Guard nor the Court of Judicial Review was willing to take them on."

"They said these are all envoys, and they can't be killed or beaten. If they are not handled properly, it will cause a war. So these people are still in the meeting hall."

Zhu Cilang rubbed his temples and waved his hand impatiently.

"Alright, you can go now. Go and call Li Ruolian here."

Before long, Li Ruolian rushed over.

Zhu Cilang, too lazy to ask why it was Ma Baolai who reported this matter to him instead of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, cut straight to the point:

"How's the investigation into last night's matter going?"

Li Ruolian, of course, knew what Zhu Cilang was asking about, so she quickly replied:
"Your Highness, the matter has been investigated and it has been found that the Korean envoy provoked the situation, but it was the Jurchens who struck first."

"At that time, the people from the Court of State Ceremonial were completely unable to control the situation, and the scene was in complete chaos. Then thirteen people died."

(End of this chapter)