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

He has been in the Ming Dynasty for almost two years now, and he has spent most of those two years fighting wars.

Although he did not mobilize all the troops in each war, he still felt that the Ming army seemed somewhat exhausted, so Zhu Cilang did not plan to fight any more wars next year.

Moreover, fighting against the Jurchens would definitely be a war of annihilation, a massive and incredibly brutal war that would require manpower and resources that are not easily managed.

Therefore, Zhu Cilang planned to resolve the issue of the maritime ban before dealing with the Jurchens.

In this way, trade could be opened up, promoting the economic development of the Ming Dynasty, and large quantities of grain could be purchased from overseas to solve the domestic famine.

Even though sweet potatoes and potatoes had become widespread and greenhouse technology had been developed, Zhu Cilang still dared not let his guard down.

He knew that in ancient times, food was always the key to a country's stability; only by ensuring that the people were well-fed could the country remain stable.

He simply didn't want to see any more people starve to death or rebel because they couldn't afford food.

Zhu Cilang only stayed in Tongguan for two short days before setting off again.

The 20,000 Qin soldiers who had been brought to Hanzhong have now grown to 50,000. They are now closely following the main army, preparing to return to the capital together.

Zhu Cilang had already made a plan: he intended to incorporate these 50,000 Qin troops into the capital garrison. After all, the peasant uprising had been quelled, and Shaanxi no longer needed so many troops stationed there.

Bringing them to the capital would allow for a further expansion of the capital's military strength, preparing for future conflicts with the Jurchens.

When the army finally stepped into Henan, the scene before him made Zhu Cilang frown.

The drought in Henan was far more severe than what he had seen in Shaanxi.

On the vast plains, the land was cracked like the wrinkles on an old man's face, with deep ravines crisscrossing the landscape, as if weeping silently.

Because of the sparse population, sometimes the army would march for half a day without seeing a single person. The surroundings were deathly silent, with only the howling wind seemingly telling the story of the suffering of this land.

The fields that should have been lush and green on both sides of the road are now barren, with not even a single blade of grass able to grow.

Zhu Cilang dismounted, squatted down, grabbed a handful of dry, cracked soil, and gently rubbed it between his fingers, causing the soil to slip through his fingers in a soft rustling sound.

He knew that the water shortage problem in Henan had reached a critical point, and there was simply too little water available for irrigation, making the construction of water conservancy projects an urgent matter.

This is not only a major issue concerning people's livelihood, but also a key issue concerning national stability and development.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that in just a few years, another 'Li Zicheng' will emerge!

That evening, the afterglow of the setting sun spilled across the land like a golden veil, adding a touch of warmth to this barren land.

The army set up camp outside Kaifeng, with tents stretching out in a continuous, undulating pattern, like a white ocean.

Zhu Cilang then led a group of personal guards into Kaifeng Prefecture.

Kaifeng Prefecture today has undergone tremendous changes compared to when I first visited.

The dilapidated state of the past is nowhere to be seen, and the area has regained its former prosperity. Pedestrians come and go on the streets, vendors enthusiastically hawk their wares, and a wide variety of goods are on display.

The shop sign swayed gently in the breeze, making a creaking sound.

Some people might be wondering at this point: Isn't Henan suffering from a drought? Why are there still people in Kaifeng? How are they surviving?
In ancient times, large cities would prioritize water supply when they were first established, and most of them were built next to water sources.

Take Kaifeng for example!

In addition to the Yellow River, Kaifeng is surrounded by four major rivers: the Bian River, the Huiji River, the Wo River, and the Jialu River. The water supply is relatively abundant, and even in years of drought, it can irrigate hundreds of thousands of acres of land in the surrounding area.

In addition, the locals can obtain water by digging wells, so the drought problem is not serious here.

However, this also led to a large number of people migrating to the vicinity of Kaifeng Prefecture.

The imperial court had already taken this into consideration, so it resettled these people and allocated them some land to cultivate.

And this wasn't just the case in Kaifeng; it was the same in several other large cities in Henan!
That evening, after dinner, Zhu Cilang summoned Zuo Liangyu.

Soon after, Zuo Liangyu arrived in a hurry.

Upon seeing Zhu Cilang, Zuo Liangyu quickly bowed down.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

Zhu Cilang smiled and gestured for him to stand up, then went straight to the point:

"Zuo Liangyu, you should continue to guard Henan for now. I will not take you back to the capital."

Zuo Liangyu was not surprised to hear this, after all, he had been stationed in Henan before. Although the peasant army had been completely defeated and there was no trace of the peasant army in Henan, it was still necessary to continue to station troops in Henan.

So he quickly replied:
"I will obey your orders!"

Zhu Cilang nodded, and then continued:

"As for what I promised you before, you can rest assured that you will get what you want before long."

It was clear that Zhu Cilang was referring to the promise he had made to bestow the title of marquis upon Zuo Liangyu.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liangyu was deeply moved. He then kowtowed to Zhu Cilang again, his voice trembling slightly, and said:
"Thank you, Your Highness! I will certainly not disappoint you! If I have the opportunity in the future, I will also go to Liaodong to fight the Jurchens to the death and serve the Ming Dynasty!"

It must be said that Zuo Liangyu was quite eloquent, and Zhu Cilang was very pleased with his words.

He stepped forward and personally helped Zuo Liangyu up, patting him on the shoulder and saying:

"Good! I believe you. I am relieved to hear your words."

After spending the night in Kaifeng, the army set off again the next morning at the crack of dawn.

The sounds of horses' hooves and footsteps mingled together, breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

Zuo Liangyu stood on the Kaifeng city wall, watching Zhu Cilang's departing figure from afar, his heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

He suddenly recalled his past experiences. Before meeting this Crown Prince, he never imagined that one day he would be so submissive to a boy who was not yet an adult.

It can only be said that His Highness the Crown Prince is truly adept at manipulating people's hearts!
This led to him, who was on the verge of becoming a warlord, suddenly becoming a loyal subject of the Ming Dynasty!
Thinking about it carefully, it really is quite unbelievable.
While Zhu Cilang was on his way back to the capital, everything was proceeding smoothly.

However, saying "following the plan step by step" is not entirely accurate, because some mistakes still occurred during the execution of the previously made plan.

The first issue is the construction of cement roads.

Last year, the imperial court set a plan to build cement roads this year, and two cement roads were to be built simultaneously. One was from the capital to Tianjin, and the other was from the capital to Liaodong.

The construction of the cement road from Beijing to Tianjin was carried out very quickly, thanks to a variety of factors.

Firstly, the two places are not far apart, making the project relatively easy to carry out. Secondly, because about 100,000 laborers were mobilized and the construction was carried out in sections, and the weather was also good, the cement road was completed last month.

However, the cost of this cement road exceeded the original budget by three million taels of silver.

But there was nothing that could be done about it. After all, this was only the second time that the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Revenue had built such a cement road. They lacked experience in terms of material usage and construction difficulty, so it was understandable that they couldn't control the budget well.

However, compared to this cement road, the construction of another cement road from Beijing to Liaodong was much more difficult.

The main challenge was the complex terrain along the route, with mountains and rivers, which presented significant difficulties for the construction.

Moreover, the local climate is extremely harsh, with long, cold winters and hot, rainy summers, which poses a great challenge to the progress and quality of the project.

To date, less than half of the road has been completed, and the entire budget has already been spent!

Correct!
You heard right!
The 30 million taels of silver raised earlier had already been spent on just the construction of the cement road from Beijing to Tianjin, plus less than half the distance from Beijing to Liaodong!

It must be said that this was completely beyond the Ministry of Revenue's expectations!

Road repairs are damn expensive!
But this didn't seem to be a big deal, because the Ministry of Revenue still had a lot of silver in its treasury, and the autumn tax had been collected, with tax revenue from various places being transported to the capital in a steady stream.

Including other income, the country's fiscal revenue in the first half of the year reached a staggering 35 million taels, which was more than enough to make up for the shortfall in road construction.

However, the Ministry of Revenue's joy was short-lived, as another important matter soon arose.

That is, the Ming Dynasty bonds issued by the imperial court last year are about to mature.

This matter may not seem urgent, but it is of great importance to the foundation of the Ming Dynasty.

Because the Ming Dynasty bonds were issued with the credit of the Ming Dynasty and its emperor, they served as a strong bridge, connecting the trust between the court, the people, and merchants.

If the bank is unable to redeem the currency, it will not only damage the Ming Bank, but also the overall reputation of the Ming Dynasty, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Therefore, properly handling the redemption of the Ming Dynasty's national debt is the most pressing matter at present.

For this reason, the Ministry of Revenue has been working intensively every day to calculate all income and expenditure. They carefully reviewed every ledger, checked every account, and did not overlook any detail.

He then submitted another memorial to Emperor Chongzhen, requesting that another five million taels of silver be allocated from the imperial treasury so that the Ming Bank would have enough silver to exchange for Ming national bonds.

Although Emperor Chongzhen didn't manage state affairs much, he still cared a lot about matters involving the country and his own reputation.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Emperor Chongzhen finally agreed to the Ministry of Revenue's request and allocated five million taels of silver from the national treasury to the Ming Bank, which was intended to be used to redeem maturing Ming bonds.

Apart from these matters, the Ming Dynasty is currently experiencing smooth sailing, and everything is developing in a positive direction.

Time flies, and another month has passed in the blink of an eye. It is now November, and the weather in the capital has already turned cold. The biting wind howls through the streets and alleys, making people wrap their cotton-padded clothes tighter.

If nothing unexpected happens, it will snow soon.

On that very day, Zhu Cilang's army finally appeared not far from the capital.

Sunlight shone on the army's armor, reflecting a dazzling light, like a golden dragon winding its way forward.

Meanwhile, news had already reached the capital, and Emperor Chongzhen personally led civil and military officials out of the city to welcome Zhu Cilang.

Outside the city gate, colorful flags fluttered, drums and music resounded, and civil and military officials, dressed in neat official robes, lined up in orderly rows on both sides of the road, their faces beaming with joy and anticipation.

After all, the significance of this victory is immense, and its impact is unparalleled.

This was like a timely rain, nourishing the long-parched land of the Ming Dynasty and filling people with hope for the future.

Therefore, unless they were truly unable to leave due to official duties, almost everyone came outside the city to welcome Zhu Cilang's triumphant return to the capital.

Soon, the two sides finally met.

The ministers hurriedly bowed and shouted:
"Welcome back to the capital in triumph, Your Highness! Long live the Crown Prince!"

"Welcome back to the capital in triumph, Your Highness! Long live the Crown Prince!"

Along with the sound of drums and music, it was truly magnificent!
Zhu Cilang ignored the ministers and strode up to Chongzhen, then kowtowed to him and said:

"Your son pays his respects to Your Majesty! Your son has lived up to Your Majesty's expectations and has finally returned victorious!"

Immediately afterwards, all the soldiers behind Zhu Cilang knelt down, shouting:
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

The sound was deafening, as if it were about to pierce the clouds.

Seeing his son again after more than nine months, Chongzhen was naturally overjoyed. He helped Zhu Cilang up with both hands, his eyes filled with relief and pride.

"I am very pleased with the Crown Prince's achievements!"

He then looked at the generals behind Zhu Cilang and said:
"Let's all get flat!"

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up.

After chatting for a few more minutes, the father and son boarded the imperial carriage together and went directly into the capital.

As for the main army behind them, they had already returned to their respective camps under the leadership of their generals, including Zhu's army.

Along the way, the streets were lined with people who came to welcome Zhu Cilang, and Zhu Cilang naturally greeted them with a smile.

If we add the scenes of his previous victories, it's likely that Zhu Cilang will no longer be able to travel incognito in the capital.

As for Chongzhen, that's even more impossible, because Chongzhen's title has long been printed on the Ming Dynasty banknotes, gold coins, and silver coins, which the people use almost every day, so it would be hard not to recognize it.

After the father and son returned to the palace in the imperial carriage, Zhu Cilang saw Empress Zhou and his younger brothers and sisters waiting at the palace gate from afar, as well as several of Chongzhen's concubines.

More importantly, Zheng Xiaomei and Qiqige were also among them.

It was obvious that they knew Zhu Cilang would not return to the Eastern Palace immediately after his return, but would have to see Chongzhen and Empress Zhou first, so they waited here on purpose.

Upon seeing Zheng Xiaomei again, Zhu Cilang felt a warmth in his heart.

After all, Zheng Xiaomei was the first woman he had ever met, and he had missed her terribly after more than nine months apart. (End of Chapter)