Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 127 You Can Always Trust the Art Student Who Failed the Exam
He frowned and pondered for a while.

Chen Jisheng ultimately decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

The army has just captured the capital of Korea, and there are still many things to deal with urgently in the city.

The shortage of money was also quite urgent.

But to be honest, the Ming Dynasty had been short of silver for quite some time.

Otherwise, the Jiajing Emperor wouldn't have roared in exasperation, "My money!!!"

So compared to that, this matter doesn't seem so urgent.

Facing his worried subordinates, Chen Jisheng waved his hand: "Let me think about it for the next two days before making a decision."

Chen Jisheng's idea is...

After I finish dealing with the urgent matters at hand, I'll talk to Kim Deok-min and his group of North Korean elders.

Although Jin Demin and his group have been suppressed over the years, they still have some wealth.

We certainly can't come up with much more, but we can always raise some initial capital.

Hearing Chen Jisheng's words, the subordinate nodded and was about to turn and leave when he seemed to remember something and continued:

"General, why don't we ask His Majesty? He should be able to come up with some solutions."

Chen Jisheng glanced in the direction of the Emperor's temporary palace and sighed.

Everyone has seen how hard His Majesty has worked these past few days.

Let alone from the moment I set foot in North Korea.

From the moment His Majesty arrived in Dongjiang Town, has there not been a single day when he has not been busy with countless affairs of state?
If it were a matter of life and death, Chen Jisheng would definitely report it to His Majesty immediately.

However, the current lack of money is not that urgent, and these people can solve the problem to a certain extent.

We can't trouble His Majesty with everything, can we? What use would these people be then?!
And even if this matter is reported to His Majesty.

Chen Jisheng firmly believed that, given His Majesty's methods, the way he would raise money was absolutely through "legal expropriation."
Everyone can attest to this, without a doubt!

But under the current circumstances, Chen Jisheng doesn't dare to make any trouble at all.

Chen Jisheng shook his head: "His Majesty is busy with many affairs, so it's best not to add to His Majesty's troubles. Go and arrange for Jin Demin and the others to meet with me tonight and tell them that I have important matters to discuss with them."

"Yes!"

soon.

The time comes at night.

After finishing some urgent matters, Chen Jisheng quickly went to Jin Demin's house.

Facing a group of sprightly old men, Chen Jisheng, after exchanging pleasantries, directly stated his purpose—to borrow some money.

Jin Demin and others readily agreed to the loan from the Ming Dynasty, fearing that any hesitation would displease the Ming army.

Oh! I thought it was something serious, but it's just about borrowing money. No problem, no problem.

The Ming Dynasty has now successfully recovered Korea.

After that, the Ming Dynasty's imperial army became the dominant force in Korea, and this group of people played a supporting role.

In that case, what's the point of talking about money?
To put it bluntly, if you have power, how can you not have money?!
The most important thing is.

Jin Demin and his group were really eager to make progress.

They desperately wanted to do something for the Ming Dynasty to give themselves a greater sense of belonging and participation.

Because they all understand this very well.

During the days that the Ming Dynasty fell, they seemed very busy, but in reality, everything they were busy with was not necessary—they were just easy wins.

Now that they have the opportunity to serve the Ming Dynasty, how could they not give it their all?
Immediately.

The group of old men then bundled up all their belongings and offered them up.

Well, apart from those fields and properties that are not easy to liquidate for the time being.

The group of about ten people pooled together about a million taels of silver.

Chen Jisheng's face twitched slightly as he heard the number.

A million taels sounds like a lot, but in reality, it's not very useful.

Given North Korea's current situation, such a small amount of money wouldn't even make a splash; at most, it would create a ripple on the surface.

But no way.

Jin Demin and his group have been constantly suppressed in recent years, so it is truly remarkable that they have achieved this.

It seems that they also realized that they were willing but unable to do so.

Jin Demin and the others chuckled somewhat sheepishly:
"General, there is no need to worry. Once the situation stabilizes, we, your humble servants, will immediately sell our family's land and residence to help the Ming Dynasty overcome its difficulties."

Chen Jisheng forced a smile: "No need."

But inwardly, he was secretly smiling bitterly.

How can I not worry? You have no idea how beset by internal and external troubles the Ming Dynasty is right now.

Moreover, the so-called sale of farmland and houses will ultimately be recouped by plundering the people.

This will only make things worse.

After all, Chen Jisheng knew very well that Zhongming was essentially just fighting for his own interests.

They could never be like us, wholeheartedly dedicating ourselves to the advancement of the Ming Dynasty without regard for anything else.

However, regardless of the circumstances, this adds up to over a million taels of starting capital.

Although it still seems like a drop in the ocean, at least we're not as passive as we were at the beginning.

Even if this money cannot enable North Korea to develop rapidly.

But Chen Jisheng believed.

With the efforts of the existing Dongjiang Town team, North Korea is unlikely to cause any major trouble.

As for minor frictions, those are inevitable; we'll deal with them as they come.

the other side.

The royal palace of Korea was also the temporary palace of Zhu Youjian.

Although it was already dark.

But Zhu Youjian was still concentrating on the future development of the Ming Dynasty.

Korea has already been taken over. Although the Later Jin and various powerful clans are still eyeing the area, Zhu Youjian's current focus is not on that.

What he was concerned about was how to win over the millions of people in Korea more quickly and how to enable Korea to better support the Ming Dynasty.

Overall, these are all at the strategic level.

After figuring out a solution.

Zhu Youjian had Mao Wenlong and others brought to the palace and explained to them in detail what they should do next in Korea.

Mao Wenlong and his generals listened to His Majesty's grand plans and undertakings with longing on their faces, wishing they could carry them out right now.

Chen Jisheng and a group of government officials became increasingly alarmed as they listened.

The various decrees Your Majesty has issued are highly feasible and will undoubtedly greatly improve the lives and military preparedness of the people of Korea in a short period of time.

But there's a problem: I don't have any money!

The silver that Chen Jisheng managed to scrape together was at most enough to maintain a certain degree of stability in Korea after His Majesty left.

It would be absolutely impossible to develop it further now.

If we force it, it will inevitably cause unrest.

But now His Majesty has already planned it out and is ready to put it into action.

Chen Jisheng hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

He wanted to interrupt His Majesty at this moment to explain the situation, but it would be very inappropriate to speak rashly at this time.

Chen Jisheng forcibly suppressed his emotions and decided to quietly find His Majesty later and explain the situation to him.

but.

Chen Jisheng's unusual behavior naturally did not escape Zhu Youjian's notice.

Seeing Chen Jisheng's barely concealed worry, Zhu Youjian asked directly:
"Chen Jisheng, what are you worried about? Please speak freely."

In an instant, all eyes turned to Chen Jisheng.

Under the gaze of the crowd, Chen Jisheng paused for a moment, then quickly cleared away any hesitation in his heart.

Since His Majesty has asked, there's no point in hiding anything.

He spoke loudly:

"Your Majesty, after my inventory today, the remaining silver in Your Majesty's possession is less than one million. I have now asked Jin Demin and others to raise the rest."

"But all the silver we could raise was less than two million taels."

“This amount of silver is far from enough to support Your Majesty’s grand ambitions. Moreover, the Korean Peninsula has only recently been pacified and cannot withstand the strain of increased taxes. I am deeply apprehensive about this.”

Listen to this.

The group of military officers, led by Mao Wenlong, who had just been full of enthusiasm, suddenly frowned.

They definitely hadn't thought of that.

However, this does not mean that Mao Wenlong and his ilk are only concerned with the immediate consequences.

They've spent the entire day taking over city defenses and maintaining order in the capital; they have no time to think about these things.

After all, they didn't actually handle the relevant matters.

So Chen Jisheng was worried about not having enough money. How about we go rob another group?
Having tasted the benefits, Mao Wenlong and others immediately had this idea in their hearts.

However, this idea was fleeting, and everyone knew that they couldn't afford to mess around under the current circumstances.

Zhu Youjian paused upon hearing this.

To be honest, he really overlooked that point.

However, this so-called neglect is not a true neglect.

On the one hand.

Zhu Youjian was so busy these past few days that he didn't really pay much attention to this today.

However, he will inquire about the matter by tomorrow at the latest and will provide a corresponding solution.

On the other hand, that is...

For Zhu Youjian, making money was so easy that it was easy to overlook it unconsciously.

after all.

The first thing a qualified politician must master is how to make money; only with an economic foundation can one consider matters of the superstructure.

Zhu Youjian's methods of making money were naturally varied.

For example: Issuing government bonds (theft), legally seizing assets (robbery), mutual assistance (fraud).
all in all.

You can always trust the money-making methods of art students who failed their college entrance exams.

However, for North Korea and the Ming Dynasty at present...

These methods seem rather drastic in comparison, and a more conciliatory approach is needed.

Another example is setting aside disputes and borrowing money to develop the business.

Faced with the concerns of Chen Jisheng and the others, Zhu Youjian said calmly, "If you are short of money, you can just borrow some."

Everyone:?
Borrow money?

Who should I borrow from?
Given the current situation of nationwide turmoil.

Who in the entire Ming Dynasty could lend them money?
Everyone exchanged glances, unsure of what His Majesty meant by those words.

After a while of silence.

Chen Jisheng then asked again with a bitter face:
"Your Majesty, please forgive my ignorance, but I simply cannot think of any force in the Ming Dynasty that would be willing to lend so much silver."

Faced with Chen Jisheng's question, Zhu Youjian did not blame him—subordinates have their own limitations in perspective.

But that's easy to handle; we can train them through specific tasks a few more times.

He said calmly, "I didn't mean to borrow money within the Ming Dynasty. I meant to borrow from Japan."

Zhu Youjian knew that although Japan was not a vast country, it was rich in various resources, especially silver mines.

Right now, in this very era.

Japan has an extremely large silver mine called Iwami Ginzan.

Just how exaggerated are the reserves of this silver mountain?

At its peak, nearly one-third of the silver circulating in the world came from this silver mountain.

There are countless other small mines in Japan.

Japan? !

For everyone in the palace, hearing the name of this country sent a chill down their spines once again.

Being in the Dongjiang military town, how could the people not be familiar with Japan?

For many years.

Although Japan nominally admires and imitates the Ming Dynasty.

However, he had many frictions with the Ming Dynasty in private.

When the Ming Dynasty was strong, he treated the Ming Dynasty even more extravagantly than he would his own father.

Now that the Ming Dynasty is showing signs of decline, he is thinking of killing his father again.

The numerous Japanese pirates that emerged along the coast are the best proof of this.

Even in present-day North Korea, some of its coastal cities are still plagued by raids by Japanese pirates.

Mao Wenlong and his men had fought against Japanese pirates many times when they were in Dongjiang Town.

Therefore, everyone knows that this country is a typical example of having small courtesies but lacking in righteousness.

Why would a country like that lend money to the Ming Dynasty for no reason? Not to mention that it was so much silver that could drive the development of the entire Joseon Dynasty.

Just as everyone was wondering, they heard His Majesty's voice softly again.

"Chen Jisheng, make preparations. Tomorrow, take my imperial seal and official letter and depart for Japan."

"After arriving in Japan, I borrowed money from Japan in the name of the Ming Dynasty and in the name of the Emperor."

Upon hearing this, a sudden realization dawned on everyone's minds.

Oh. So Your Majesty was prepared to use the reputation of the Ming Dynasty and your own invaluable body as collateral.

In that case, Japan will probably lend some money.

After all, this country is willing to do some superficial work on "small gifts".

“Tell the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan that the Ming Dynasty borrowed 15 million taels of silver from them and will repay them 25 million taels in two years.”

"I swear in my name that I will never break my promise!"

As soon as these words came out.

Everyone present looked at Zhu Youjian as he walked away, their disbelief palpable.

???

Even the most notorious loan sharks only manage to get nine out of thirteen loans returned.

Could the interest rates on such large loans between countries be this high?

In two years, the interest amounted to a full ten million taels.

How will the Ming Dynasty repay this debt?!

Could it be that His Majesty plans to rob the wealthy and powerful families of their silver to repay this debt?

Isn't that just like drinking poison to quench thirst, or robbing Peter to pay Paul?
After a long pause, Chen Jisheng suddenly knelt down with a thud:
"Your Majesty, please reconsider! The interest rates on these loans are so exorbitant, how can the Ming Dynasty possibly afford them?"

The crowd quickly followed suit, kneeling down and pleading, "Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

Everyone knew that such interest rates were simply terrifying.

However, if such outrageous conditions are not offered, Japan probably will not agree to the loan.

Zhu Youjian didn't show much emotion when he saw the crowd kneeling down.

When faced with a plan that transcends the times, these people are certainly unable to process too much information at once.

But as I said before—you'll get used to it after a few tries.

Zhu Youjian's voice rose a few decibels: "Why should we repay the silver that our Great Ming borrowed through its own ability?"

Everyone looked up at Zhu Youjian, their eyes filled with even greater confusion.

"Two years later, we will send troops to annihilate Japan, and then all debts will be wiped clean."

Everyone:.
Mao Wenlong opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately swallowed his words.

If it were any other emperor, even the current founding emperor, who said this, he would have scoffed.

What's going on with the Ming Dynasty right now? They're lucky to even be alive, yet they're thinking of launching expeditions against other countries?!

What about dreaming?
But it was His Majesty who said these words.

That seems to actually be somewhat possible?
Putting aside everything else, if the Ming Dynasty could continue to develop at its current pace...

Your Majesty will surely be able to quell the rebellions in various regions within the next two years and unite the entire Ming Dynasty as one.

In that case... the annihilation of Japan in two years will be just around the corner!
With the full power of the Ming Dynasty, how could it not be able to deal with Japan?

Thinking of this, Mao Wenlong couldn't help but nod to himself.

Say something.

What Your Majesty just said does indeed contain some profound truths that are difficult for ordinary people to understand.

Why should we repay the money we borrowed through our own abilities?
For the Ming Dynasty to borrow money from a foreign country was an act of respect towards that country.

Right?

If a foreign country still wants the Ming Dynasty to repay its debts, then it is truly ignorant of its own limitations.

You're the one who gave the money, and you're also the one who wants it back.

You think you get all the good things by yourself?
I think you're fucking asking for a slaughter!
In this case.

Then I'll destroy you, and not only will I not have to pay back the money you owe, but all your money and land will be mine.

why not?

And most importantly.

Mao Wenlong did not contribute much to the destruction of North Korea and failed to demonstrate his value.

If troops are sent to Japan two years later, the Korean War will inevitably become the main force.

In the next two years, Mao Wenlong will truly make North Korea's development a great success.

Once Japan is destroyed...

Let alone being granted a title of nobility.

It's not impossible that they might even appoint someone of a different surname as a king.

Suddenly.

Mao Wenlong felt that His Majesty's plan was to borrow other people's money to develop his own power, and then kill them after he had developed his power.

It's absolutely wonderful!

Chen Jisheng, who was standing to the side, also felt great regret after leading the way for a while.

He originally thought that His Majesty's decision was nothing more than to plunder the powerful and wealthy families.

Who would have thought that this could be a way to solve a lack of money?!
If he had known earlier, he would have discussed this matter with His Majesty long ago.

However, Chen Jisheng cannot be blamed for this; in essence, he was still acting in the best interests of the Ming Dynasty.

It's just that their vision and perspective haven't broadened yet.

At this moment, although Chen Jisheng also felt that this move was feasible, he still asked with some concern:
"Your Majesty, I have another concern: will this action affect your and the reputation of the Ming Dynasty?"

Listen to this question.

A smile involuntarily crept onto Zhu Youjian's face—I find it somewhat amusing that you're talking to me about reputation.

If you kill all the people with bad reputations, won't all the so-called bad reputations disappear?

Moreover, what Zhu Youjian wanted to do was to ensure that there was only one Great Ming Dynasty in the world.

What does a temporary bad reputation matter to the Ming Dynasty?
Just as the rebellions of powerful families across the country today are nothing to Zhu Youjian.
It's just a little bit of hardship.

Looking at the smile on Zhu Youjian's face.

After exchanging glances, everyone present also broke into smiles.

At first, the smile was just a smile.

But it quickly turned into laughter.

In the end, it turned into unrestrained, wild laughter.

Zhu Youjian looked at everyone and nodded in satisfaction.

There are some things that people learn very quickly.

In this regard.

He was very relieved.

That's how Han Chinese do things.

(End of this chapter)