Strategy for the Revitalization of the Late Ming Dynasty
Chapter 54 Proton
Chapter 54 Proton
"Your Highness, the Zheng family has no intention of usurping power. The Anhai mansion belongs to the Zheng family, thousands of people from top to bottom, and each person only has three or five humble rooms." Zheng Sen knelt down in shock. He did not expect that the attitude of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince in front of him towards the Zheng family would change so quickly.
"Of course I know this." Zhu Cilang's tone remained gentle. He looked at Zheng Sen, who was kneeling before him, and said quietly, "This person definitely has ulterior motives and is slandering the Zheng family!"
Although Zheng Zhilong was a wealthy man and the mansion he built was indeed large in scale, covering more than one hectare, it was only about one-tenth the size of the Nanjing Palace.
Moreover, at this time, in the provinces and prefectures under the rule of the Ming Dynasty, which wealthy official and gentry did not overstep their bounds? This was nothing. If Zhu Cilang really used this as an excuse to behead people and confiscate their property, it would shake the confidence of the gentry in supporting the Nanjing court.
After all, he is actually taking advantage of Zheng Sen's youth to scare the other party. If the old fox Zheng Zhilong comes, this matter will be nothing at all. Even whether to kneel or not depends on Zheng Zhilong's attitude.
After all, given the current situation, Zhu Cilang would not be able to touch the Zheng family without a sufficiently convincing reason, otherwise it would only cause panic among the people.
"Do you know why I arranged Du Yinxi and He Tengjiao in Huguang and Jiangxi?" Zhu Cilang slowly helped Zheng Sen up and suddenly asked.
Zheng Sen shook his head. He was not very familiar with these two ministers, he had only heard of their names.
After all, the Nanjing court was originally a place to house ministers who had fallen on hard times. Zheng Sen didn't think much of these people, let alone the two local ministers He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi.
"These two people have unique insights into finance, taxation and local governance. They are particularly good at raising food and money, but do you know how they raised money so quickly?" The smile on Zhu Cilang's face gradually froze, as if he was smiling but not really, and he continued to ask.
Seeing this, Zheng Sen suddenly felt a little nervous and shook his head again. These unknown things made his originally proud and confident heart gradually become uneasy. When he looked at Zhu Cilang, who was a few years younger than him, his eyes began to be mixed with a hint of fear.
"Increasing salaries and confiscating property, draining the pond to catch all the fish, is not a strategy for long-term stability." Zhu Cilang's tone suddenly became fierce, his eyebrows raised, and then he said:
"I shoulder the eternal legacy of the Ming Dynasty, the empire built by our ancestors, and my father's ambition to restore the country. How could I treat the people like prey and disregard the law?"
Zheng Sen's heart skipped a beat. He immediately clasped his hands together, even pretending to kneel down and said, "Your Highness is thoughtful and strategic. He is a wise ruler for all ages. The Ming Dynasty will surely be revived and its foundation will last forever!"
After all, these words sounded like soothing, but the threat was obviously stronger than before.
If Zhu Cilang's previous words only said that the court had the ability to cut off the Zheng family's maritime trade supply, and then support a new "Pirate King".
Now, these words were telling Zheng Sen explicitly that if the imperial court was forced to do so, in order to raise food and money, it would take action against wealthy businessmen and confiscate their property.
In other words, Zhu Cilang was not incapable of doing such a thing. There were even ministers in the court who were willing to be the so-called "criminals", but as the monarch of the Ming Dynasty and a wise ruler, he did not choose to reuse such ministers.
You should know that in the original history, He Tengjiao and Du Yinxi dug deep into the earth to raise food and wages for their army of over 100,000, even in Hunan, which had been devastated by more than a decade of war. Even so, they failed to provoke a series of peasant uprisings. The series of "financial innovations" they implemented to raise funds were essentially targeted at wealthy merchants.
However, there were too many troops gathered under their command at that time, and they were all weak and defeated soldiers. Even if these people were raised, they could not stop the main force of the Qing army.
At this moment, Zhu Cilang saw that his threat had taken effect, and he laughed a few more times, then ended this sensitive topic directly, and changed the subject, and said:
"Da Mu, you're not an official yet, are you? What I just told you were all about the court. You should think carefully about what to do with the Zheng family. Now that official business is over, I want to talk to you about personal matters."
Zheng Sen was slightly startled when he heard this, then he bowed to Zhu Cilang with a very respectful attitude. It was obvious that the private matter was for him, but what did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince want to see him about specifically?
"Don't be nervous. The Zheng family and the imperial court share the same fate. Maybe we will still be a family in the future." Zhu Cilang smiled meaningfully and then said:
"Gao Jie, Huang Degong, Liu Zeqing, Liu Liangzuo, and other high-ranking generals have been away on campaigns for years, and their families must be properly cared for. I have built a mansion in Nanjing specifically to house their families. It was completed yesterday, and the servants and maids have already been recruited."
"That is indeed the case. Your Highness is thoughtful and considerate of his subjects. The soldiers will surely not fear life or death and will serve their country on the battlefield."
Zheng Sen was very surprised when he heard the word "family" for the first time, but when he heard the rest, he couldn't figure out what the Crown Prince in front of him wanted to do.
"These generals are all meritorious officials of the imperial court. It is my responsibility to take care of their descendants." Zhu Cilang did not continue to hide the truth, but came straight to the point:
"Da Mu, I intend to select some promising talents from among them. I will train them in the palace during normal times, learning military tactics and accompanying them on campaigns in times of war, where they will learn how to lead troops. How do you think I will temporarily hand these people over to you for command?"
"Me?" Zheng Sen hadn't expected Zhu Cilang to do this suddenly, but after being surprised, he immediately reacted and quickly followed his orders:
"I will definitely live up to your Highness's kindness!"
Although he was still very young at this time and lacked experience in military and political affairs, as the successor of Zheng Zhilong, he grew up in a complex environment and was very sensitive to such matters.
Zheng Sen immediately understood what Zhu Cilang meant. He wanted to turn the four generals and the children of the Zheng family into hostages of the court and keep them under surveillance.
But he did not think that the crown prince in front of him had only this ambition. If the situation was good and the four generals, the Zheng family, and other generals were to be reused by the Ming Dynasty in the future, then this would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him.
As the son of Zheng Zhilong, Zheng Sen knew too well what it meant to be the first to get the moon if you are close to the water. If he failed to seize this opportunity, Zhu Cilang would definitely look for someone else.
Zhu Cilang looked at Zheng Sen's performance and nodded with satisfaction. This kind of reaction and ambition was the person he wanted to entrust with important tasks. He then ordered:
"Seven days from now, bring them with you to the coronation ceremony. I want everyone to see these talented people of the Ming Dynasty when I ascend the throne!"
(End of this chapter)
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