Late Ming Dynasty: So what if Emperor Chongzhen was inactive?!

Chapter 150 Our dynasty's deep-seated problems are not something that can be cured by a single drastic remedy.
Faced with the emperor's rare display of genuine anger, the court officials were caught off guard.

The second-in-command, Zhu Xieyuan, had no choice but to step forward and defend the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The grain and salary for Dongjiang Town have already been distributed. As for the relief efforts, the summer harvest was not yet complete, and the court was indeed willing but unable to provide it."

Then came the continuous warfare, requiring priority to ensure military supplies, which delayed this matter. It wasn't that the Grand Secretary disobeyed orders, but simply that priorities differed. The matter of compensation will be noted for now; it will be made up for when the court's finances are more abundant.”

"Make up for it?! Hahahaha!" Zhu Youjian laughed in a chilling way. He wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "When has the court ever made up for the owed wages?! Twenty-four million taels of transport tax silver! Ah! In the end, only eighteen million taels went into the Taicang, twenty-five percent, twenty-five percent has gone away!"

With a thud, Bi Ziyan's legs went weak, and he knelt down. His eyes were red, and he said in a trembling voice, "Your subject deserves to die!"

Thump, thump, thump...

"We deserve to die a thousand deaths!!!" A large number of people knelt in the court.

Zhu Youjian looked at this group of hypocrites and felt increasingly helpless. What could he do with them? Kill them all? What good would it do? Perhaps these officials in the court were already the cleanest group of officials in the Ming Dynasty? Putting aside whether he could kill them, if he really killed them, it would only cause pain to his loved ones and joy to his enemies. It would be digging his own grave.

"Get up, all of you, don't be so guilty as to deserve death," Zhu Youjian said weakly. "Even if it's only 18 million taels, can't you even afford a little bit for funeral expenses? With the court like this, how are the soldiers fighting on the front lines supposed to feel?!"

Bi Ziyan gritted his teeth and said, "We can postpone the salary payment for six months and use the money to prioritize the distribution of pensions."

A gasp rippled through the crowd, but because the emperor was intimidating, no one immediately jumped out to object.

But everyone was definitely unhappy: the vast majority of the imperial tax revenue was used to subsidize the soldiers. The civil officials, who were clearly of higher status and more noble than the military officers, could only make a living from the leftover scraps, which were not enough to go around.

Why should they? The frontier is harsh and cold. Did they really have an easy time studying hard for ten years? The dangers of officialdom are no less than those of the battlefield. It's not easy for them to survive until now and climb to the position of court official!

Zhu Youjian also thought it was outrageous and rejected Bi Ziyan's bad idea. If salaries were suspended for half a year, it would be a case of bad money driving out good. Corrupt officials would get away with it, while honest officials would starve to death, and those who didn't want to die or live would be forced to become corrupt.

"Very well, I will find a way to provide compensation for the soldiers of Dongjiang Town. This is a one-time exception, and there will be no next time. Order Yuan Keli to investigate the casualties of Dongjiang Town, and to prepare military registers and register the soldiers of Dongjiang Town. Since the court has established Dongjiang Town, it should sincerely accept them. The soldiers of Dongjiang Town have made outstanding contributions in battle, so they should no longer be regarded as a rabble."

"I hereby instruct General Mao Wenlong, Commander-in-Chief of Dongjiang Town, and General Zu Dashou, Commander-in-Chief of Jinzhou, to come to the capital for an audience," Zhu Youjian said after a moment's thought. "I have misspoke earlier, and I apologize to you all. Today is New Year's Eve, so I will not keep you for dinner. It is more important for you to reunite with your families. After court, each of you may take a piece of sacrificial meat to go home."

"Your Majesty, we thank you for your kindness!"

The court officials performed the "farewell ceremony" to the emperor, and Zhu Youjian dismissed the court early to allow them to return home and prepare for the New Year. Zhu Youjian dragged his weary body back to the inner court and found it peaceful and serene.

*Plop plop* A tiny little girl, wearing tiger-head shoes and a tiger-head hat, peeked out from behind the basket, calling out softly, but ultimately lost her balance and fell back down on her bottom. The sudden fall startled her, and she burst into tears. Zhu Youjian's heart melted; he quickly went over and picked up his daughter.

Sun Shixiu glanced at her niece in the emperor's arms, then at her own son, feeling resentful. She pinched the boy's thigh. The child's reaction was hesitant; the little prince froze for a moment, then burst into heart-wrenching sobs, his voice filled with grievance. Zhu Youjian, helpless, could only scoop up another child and hold them in his arms. One could only be held horizontally against his belly, even struggling weakly; the other had quickly switched from crying to laughing, reaching out to tug at the emperor's whiskers. The child's little paws were surprisingly strong, and Zhu Youjian winced in pain.

Seeing how pitiful he was, Wanwan came over and took her daughter away. As Chou Chou left, she stretched out her hand toward Zhu Youjian, unwilling to leave, but intimidated by her mother's authority, she dared not cry or make a fuss.

Zhou Yufeng arrived late, carrying her daughter. She had been busy all morning, trying to share Zhang Yan's workload, and taking care of the festive decorations, the New Year's Eve dinner, and other small and complicated tasks.

The emperor had a large family, but although Zhu Youjian utilized these clan ties, he didn't like the constant noise and commotion. In the palace, he preferred to live with his own small family.

That's just how people are; some can't even afford to get married, yet the Ming Dynasty produced a bizarre emperor who practiced monogamy and didn't take any concubines. Although Zhu Youjian wasn't quite that extreme, his life wasn't very extensive either. There were still a few of his newly acquired concubines that he hadn't even touched yet. He was so busy that he forgot even their names.

On New Year's Eve, the emperor, his sisters-in-law, and his wives stayed up late in the palace to welcome the new year. At midnight, the eunuchs rang the palace bells and drums, announcing the end of the old year.

The first year of the Chongzhen reign has passed; now it is the year of Ji Si!
New Year's Eve should have been a time for family reunions, but the Jurchen family was arguing on the vast grasslands, hundreds of miles from home. They were indeed a family; the Jurchens were a family enterprise, and those currently in power were all Nurhaci's sons and relatives. Although even brothers would stab each other in the back, compared to the Ming Dynasty, the Jurchens were still considered relatively united.

Originally, the Ming Dynasty was also a family business, with the emperor having a group of brothers to help him. Unfortunately, this model could only last for one or two generations before it eventually collapsed.

Everyone originally didn't want to take the long detour to attack the Ming Dynasty, but they were persuaded by Huang Taiji. Even if they agreed, they could still turn back. They traveled for more than ten days without seeing any signs of human habitation. Lost in the vast grasslands, they didn't even know if they were on the right track.

They were born and raised in Liaodong; when had they ever been inside the Great Wall? Their knowledge of the world inside the Great Wall was only an abstract concept formed through hearsay. They'd heard that the Ming Dynasty was ten times the size of Liaodong—was it really that fragile? What if another hundred or two hundred people like Mao Wenlong came along? They would be doomed.

Daišan and Mangultai arrived at Huang Taiji's camp in the middle of the night, clamoring to go home. Huang Taiji angrily said, "You two keep repeating the same thing: 'Our troops have penetrated deep into enemy territory, and we have launched a long and arduous raid. If we do not reach the Ming border, our food supplies will be exhausted, and our horses will be weary. How can we return home? Moreover, now that we have entered the border, if the Ming army blocks our way from behind, we may have no way back.' You are using these excuses to stubbornly refuse to obey my orders!"

"Since you all thought of these things long ago, why did you agree in the first place, instead of letting me lead the army all the way here? Now you've changed your minds, and the people aren't united. I'm truly unhappy about this!"

As elder brothers, Daišan and Mangultai were not happy to be scolded by their younger brother. They would scold back regardless of whether they were right or wrong, otherwise they would lose face.

Inside the brightly lit tent, a fierce argument erupted, followed by the ear-piercing sound of things being knocked over, and even swords being drawn. Had Huang Taiji not given prior orders, the white-armored Ba Ya La outside would have already rushed in. The lamplight projected the three figures onto the screen, revealing the glint of swords and axes within the tent, while onlookers outside trembled with fear.

Finally, after more than an hour, all three of them emerged unscathed, though their faces were bruised and swollen and they didn't look very good. Huang Taiji, in particular, had been beaten up badly.

Outside, the three men's guards stood facing each other, swords drawn, awaiting a command to rush in and provide assistance; however, no fighting broke out. Huang Taiji once again persuaded his two elder brothers that the army would continue its march the next day.

(End of this chapter)