Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 161 Huang Taiji: Am I being made a fool of?

The more Huang Ze thought about these life-or-death matters, the more agitated he felt.

The more anxious you are, the more you think about it, and the more you think about it, the more anxious you become.

at last.

Unable to withstand the pressure from the sudden surge of anger, Huang Ze, with his gray hair, suddenly collapsed.

The fainting of the key figure naturally caused a flurry of activity among the people in the room.

Among them, Lu Xiang-sheng was the most excited.

For Lu Xiang-sheng, whether Huang Ze, that old bastard, is dead or alive is actually irrelevant.

However, no matter what, he cannot die now.

What if Huang Ze dies and is replaced by someone even more difficult to deal with?
Furthermore.

It's all for my own improvement.

Lu Xiang-sheng couldn't just stand by and watch Huang Ze run into trouble.

So everyone in the room saw Lu Xiang-sheng rush forward in a flash before they could react.

Lu Xiang-sheng patted Huang Ze's chest and back, showing that he cared more about Huang Ze than his own life.

People who originally had many criticisms of Lu Xiang-sheng.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't help but exclaim: I never expected Lu Xiang-sheng to be so loyal and devoted. Old Master Huang was right to have chosen the right person!
Huang Ze, who finally caught his breath with the help of others, is no longer in mortal danger.

But when he thinks about how Huang Wei, that bastard, has caused the entire Huang family to fall into this passive situation, he feels a pang of regret.

Huang Ze couldn't help but order the confiscation of the property and extermination of the entire clan of this non-direct relative.

They initially chose Huang Wei as the commander-in-chief because Huang Wei had actual military service experience.

Moreover, Huang Wei spoke of military strategies in great detail, and even boasted that as long as he led the troops, the false emperor would definitely not be his match.

It could be said that he fooled them on the spot.

Now it seems like he was just a damn pretty face!

However, to some extent, this is not without its advantages.

At least the elders of these families will definitely have a much better eye for talent when selecting people in the future.

You learn from your mistakes.

The old man should suffer more losses now, it will help him in the future... if there is a future.

After recovering, Huang Wei didn't say anything, but weakly waved to the people in the room, signaling the others to leave first.

I still have things to discuss with the other elders.

Everyone was extremely uneasy upon seeing this, especially the defeated generals who had just suffered a crushing defeat.

They didn't know whether Huang Ze's so-called discussion was intended to convict and punish them, or to simply let the matter drop.

Therefore, after leaving the room, these people did their best to please Lu Xiang-sheng, trying to increase their chances of survival.

Although Lu Xiang-sheng appeared to be dealing with everyone, he had already received instructions from His Majesty the moment he entered the territory of Zhen Ding Prefecture.

At this moment, Lu Xiang-sheng was racking his brains trying to figure out how to extract more information from the crowd.

Unexpectedly, after making inquiries and even without asking, Lu Xiang-sheng actually discovered that there was a wealthy family's silver treasury in Zhengding Prefecture.

Even Lu Xiang-sheng himself didn't expect that his casual, indirect question would lead to everyone else spilling the beans.

After all, what Lu Xiang-sheng didn't know was...

For most scions of prominent families, this was common knowledge.

Lu Xiang-sheng remained calm and composed.

After obtaining the intelligence, he immediately began to plan how to cooperate with His Majesty to seize the silver treasury in the city.

In the current situation, a direct assault is definitely not an option.

Having suffered repeated defeats, this group will undoubtedly choose to defend rather than attack.

Relying on the city as a defense means that even with His Majesty's abilities, it would be impossible to breach the city in a short time.

These people might even flee south again out of fear.

This makes it even more difficult for His Majesty to raise money.

Although His Majesty has not yet explained in detail how the Ming Dynasty has managed to hold off the Later Jin.

However, Lu Xiang-sheng had already learned from the intelligence messenger that the Later Jin would likely send troops to attack the capital soon.

Therefore, he had to resolve this matter for His Majesty in the shortest possible time.

After glancing in the direction of the room he had just left, Lu Xiang-sheng decided to try his luck by going in later.

inside the room.

After everyone left.

Huang Ze, who had just been overcome with anger, slowly propped himself up from the bed, looked at the other three, and said, word by word:

"My Huang family has accumulated wealth in Zhending Prefecture over many years. I'm afraid that the situation in Baoding and Shuntian Prefectures will soon be completely controlled by the pseudo-emperor."

"At that time, the entire Zhen Ding Prefecture will be indefensible."

"Therefore, I need to take advantage of this time to transfer the wealth in the treasury as soon as possible. I would like to ask you all to do your best to help my Huang family with this matter. I will reward you handsomely after it is done."

Huang Ze spoke in a tone that was both sincere and desolate, making him appear extremely pitiful.

Seeing this, the other three couldn't help but feel a sense of shared sorrow, like the rabbit mourning the fox's death.

Throughout thousands of years of history, no powerful clan or aristocratic family in any dynasty has ever been so humiliated by imperial power.

This is absolutely upside down!

Zhang Guozhu, the head of the Zhang family, especially felt the same pain as Huang Ze at this moment.

Because the Zhang family also owned a silver shop in Zhending Prefecture, where the amount of silver deposited exceeded ten million.

They were not like the nobles of Jiangnan, who could spend millions of taels of silver to build a garden.

This amount of money is not a small sum for them.

In this regard.

Naturally, everyone wanted to move the silver to the safer south.

Then, when the Later Jin army approached the capital, they returned leisurely as if nothing had happened.

But the problem is.

This sounds easy, since it's really just moving things from one place to another.

However, it is extremely difficult to implement in practice.

Don’t say anything else.

The combined assets of the two companies amounted to tens of millions of taels of gold and silver.

In that case, who knows how much would be embezzled by those wolves during the transport process alone.

They have a fairly clear understanding of the character of their own family members.

Not to mention the possibility that the false emperor might hear the news and launch an attack.

Even if the enemy fails to succeed in one strike, our own soldiers will definitely take advantage of the chaos to steal gold and silver.

If the public gets wind of this and it incites a mutiny and looting, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Zhang Guozhu sighed and voiced his concerns in response to Huang Ze's words.

After listening, Huang Ze remained silent for a moment, and finally closed his eyes with a struggling expression.

While remaining in the city would offer temporary safety, no one could guarantee that the false emperor wouldn't launch another surprise attack on Zhen Ding Prefecture; there was considerable uncertainty involved.

If the transfer is planned, it's almost certain that many problems will arise along the way.

For a moment, Huang Ze and Zhang Guozhu were both caught in a dilemma, and the other two also frowned.

After thinking for a while, as if he had thought of something, Huang Ze opened his eyes and said:

"Bring Lu Xiang-sheng in; I'd like to hear his opinion."

Someone questioned, "Is it reliable to invite an outsider to discuss such a big matter?"

Huang Ze tugged at his lip, his expression a mix of helplessness and anger: "If it weren't for him, that army would probably have been wiped out last night." "Besides, if they really decided to move the valuables, were they going to rely on Lu Xiang-sheng or us old men to escort them ourselves?"

Those who had raised the questions stopped talking after hearing this.

no way.

The reason is that the aristocratic families are so corrupt, and all the young men in each family are a bunch of good-for-nothings, none of them are capable of being of any use.

So even though Lu Xiang-sheng is an "outsider," we have no choice but to use him now.

After all, for Huang Ze and Zhang Guozhu at the moment...

Both of them were inclined to flee south.

So what if we lose a little? It's better than losing everything to that fake emperor, right?

In less than half a month, they have been completely awakened.

At the same time, these people also deeply realized the gap between their own army and the army on the other side.

They no longer harbor any contempt or wishful thinking towards Zhu Youjian.

This is also the main reason why they tend to flee south.

soon.

Lu Xiang-sheng was called into the room.

After Huang Ze briefly shared his and others' concerns, Lu Xiang-sheng was suddenly startled.

Is this the blessing of Heaven upon the Ming Dynasty?

I was just thinking about going to sleep, and now someone has brought me a pillow.

Of course, Lu Xiang-sheng also knew that there was an element of luck involved.

Ultimately, it was because His Majesty had stirred up the people in Baoding Prefecture.

Otherwise, the situation between the two sides would be completely reversed.

Lu Xiang-sheng blinked, banishing these distracting thoughts from his mind, and began to analyze the current situation.

For Lu Xiang-sheng...

He certainly didn't want the powerful families to transfer their assets, even though this might allow His Majesty to bring Zhen Ding Prefecture under the control of the Ming Dynasty.

However, territory alone is no longer of any use to the Ming Dynasty at present.

Only with enough silver can His Majesty truly gain control of the territory he has already acquired.

Lu Xiang-sheng's mind raced as he pondered how he could achieve his goal.

The reason Huang Ze and the others want to run away is because they are afraid.

This is the fundamental reason.

If this problem isn't solved...

Even if Lu Xiang-sheng used all sorts of other reasons to make eloquent claims, he couldn't change these people's plans to flee south.

So how can we make these people feel safe enough to give up their plans to flee south?
Lu Xiang-sheng's mind went blank for a moment, and he couldn't come up with any good ideas.

Seeing that Lu Xiang-sheng couldn't come up with a good solution either, Huang Ze and Zhang Guo-zhu exchanged a glance and gave up all hope.

Prepare to immediately issue orders to arrange the relocation.

But in that split second, Lu Xiang-sheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a solution.

However, this move is a bit risky.

Most importantly, this move requires His Majesty and him to have a very good understanding of each other.

Lu Xiang-sheng wouldn't have dared to do this if he didn't have enough trust in His Majesty.

After a pause, Lu Xiang-sheng bowed and said to the group, "My lords, although the false emperor has now taken up residence in Shuntian Prefecture..."

"However, with their military strength, it would be impossible for them to completely control Shuntian Prefecture in a short period of time."

"If you gentlemen trust me, then I am willing to try to lead troops to capture several cities located at the border of the two provinces."

"If this matter can be accomplished, then there will be room for maneuver between the two governments."

"Even if the enemy really wants to attack Zhen Ding Prefecture, they will not be able to do so in a short time. This will give you gentlemen time to react."

Lu Xiang-sheng hadn't finished speaking yet.

Huang Ze, who had been weak and listless, suddenly sat up straight on the bed as if he were experiencing a final burst of energy before death, showing a sense of recklessness and greed.

A glint appeared in his eyes. If Lu Xiang-sheng could really take the city at the border...

Then they would neither suffer the loss of transported silver for nothing, nor would they have to live in fear and lose sleep.

This is indeed a foolproof plan.

The only question now is whether Lu Xiangshan can successfully snatch a piece of meat from the false emperor.

The group exchanged glances, and Huang Ze slowly propped himself up from the bed and came to Lu Xiang-sheng's side.

Looking at Lu Xiang-sheng, who was tall, handsome and talented, Huang Ze's eyes were full of undisguised admiration.

After some necessary inquiries.

Huang Ze then promised Lu Xiang-sheng a high-ranking official position and generous salary.

At the same time, Lu Xiang-sheng was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the defeated army, and 5,000 troops were transferred to him from Zhen-ding Prefecture, so that Lu Xiang-sheng could be in full charge of the matter.

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiang-sheng knew that the matter was already largely settled, so he immediately left the room to handle the matter.

After Lu Xiang-sheng left...

The undisguised admiration on the faces of the people inside the room vanished instantly, replaced by solemnity.

None of the four of them are fools.

They all knew that although Lu Xiang-sheng was brave, he was ultimately no match for the false emperor's army.

Therefore, after Lu Xiang-sheng left, the group immediately sent out another team to keep a close watch on him, while also preparing to relocate at any time.

you could put it that way.

If Lu Xiang-sheng's side fails to capture those cities successfully, or if any unexpected events occur during the process, they will immediately withdraw without even blinking an eye.

As for the losses, so be it.

In any case, if they can't protect that silver themselves, then they should throw it away rather than let the false emperor get it!

Lu Xiang-sheng and his remaining troops were merely pawns used by them to preserve their wealth and status.

Although doing so might result in the loss of a key strategist and further damage to our strength.

But they could still tell whether the lives of a mere ten or twenty thousand people were more important than the lives of their entire family.

After giving these instructions...

The group then summoned a team of trusted confidants, who, along with the official seals, immediately set off for Shanxi to urge the Later Jin to send troops.

What exactly is the situation on the Later Jin side?
Sending troops to Beijing was an extremely advantageous move for them, something they had long dreamed of, not to mention the strong support they were receiving from their side.

They provided grain and money as requested, and even planned out the route to Beijing for them—a complete mess.

But why, after so much time has passed, have we not heard a single word about them sending troops?

Even if it were his mother giving birth, her pregnancy should be showing by now, right?

Could it be that they intend to go back on their word or sit back and watch the two sides fight?

However, given the relationship and level of understanding between the Shanxi merchants and the Later Jin dynasty, this was absolutely impossible.

Unable to understand, the group could only send people to keep urging them on.

In the current situation.

These people have placed all their hopes on the Later Jin.

And at this moment.

Inside the Imperial Palace of Shengjing, the capital of the Later Jin Dynasty, thousands of miles away.

Huang Taiji was pondering a very troublesome problem.

Am I fucking being made a fool of by the Ming Dynasty emperor?!
(End of this chapter)