Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 45: The Ming army is not fully paid; a fully paid army is invincible.

The official, who was being silently ridiculed by the crowd, was not angry at the sight.

He simply chuckled twice, then picked up his teacup and drank alone, glossing over the matter.

He can stand here.

It wasn't because he possessed any outstanding talent or ability, but because he represented the interests of a certain powerful and influential family.

As the official agent, he doesn't need to be particularly intelligent; as long as he's not stupid, that's enough.

If someone were truly exceptionally capable, why would they need to become an official in the capital?!

Is the saying "the clan hopes to remain in their ancestral home" really just empty talk?

No one made a big deal out of this little incident.

After a few jokes, an official stepped forward and said seriously, "Although we have temporarily relieved our immediate crisis..."

"But I still have a major concern."

The official paused at this point, and the room fell silent again as a result of his words.

Grand Secretary Shi Fenglai stroked his beard: "Speak freely. We have gathered here to pool our wisdom and overcome this difficult time together."

The official continued, "If His Majesty suddenly becomes suspicious and decides not to proceed with the tour, what should we do next?"

Shi Fenglai smiled and said, "Before, it was because His Majesty was ruthless and had no weaknesses. Now that we know His Majesty's concerns, we can continue to use the Liaodong matter to our advantage."

"However, your lives will probably not be as easy as before, so you need to be prepared for that in advance."

"Moreover, we need to give that scoundrel Yuan Chonghuan some sweet treats."

Everyone stroked their beards and nodded, agreeing that this was a feasible move.

The official who spoke nodded: "In that case, it seems the only concern is what the imperial faction in the court will do after His Majesty's tour."

“Eunuchs, Chen Xinjia, Zhang Weixian and their ilk must be completely wiped out.”

Huang Lijie waved his hand: "No need to worry. Even if the Emperor wipes out the Beijing Garrison tomorrow, training troops is not something that can be accomplished overnight."

"As long as the emperor is not around, these people will ultimately be of little use."

After these words were spoken, the weight that had been hanging over everyone's hearts for so long finally lifted.

Victory is right at hand.

Some officials, in their excitement, even couldn't help but hum softly.

the other side.

Among the palace's post stations.

Mao Wenlong spent most of the day writing down his analysis of the situation in Liaodong in a concise and efficient manner.

These things already existed in his mind, so writing them down wasn't too difficult.

Simultaneously.

Mao Wenlong was extremely nervous about the upcoming summons.

Although the fact that the new emperor summoned him proved that he had won the new emperor's trust in his trip to the capital to report on his duties.

But this matter was far too important; if the other party had been a slightly less mediocre emperor, Mao Wenlong would not have acted so vehemently.

But the other party happens to be a young and powerful ruler who can lead the Ming Dynasty to a new era.

This made Mao Wenlong, who had experienced ups and downs for half his life, even more nervous than when he first went into battle to kill someone.

Fortunately.

This intense anxiety didn't torment Mao Wenlong for long.

As night fell, he finally saw the eunuchs from the palace.

After a series of formalities...

Mao Wenlong, whose hair and beard were both white, was led to a side room in the Qianqing Palace.

As Mao Wenlong entered the room, he secretly peeked inside. He saw a young man exuding an imposing aura sitting expressionlessly at a desk, holding what appeared to be a map in his hand.

Mao Wenlong dared not look any longer, and immediately composed himself, kneeling heavily and bowing his head, saying, "Your subject Mao Wenlong pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

He didn't add any extra official titles to his words, only using the word "臣" (chen, meaning subject/minister).

After saying this, Mao Wenlong knelt quietly on the ground and said no more.

He is ready.

When the emperor allowed him to rise, he presented the policy essay and shared his views on some current affairs of the Ming Dynasty with His Majesty.

However, this is somewhat impolite.

Mao Wenlong knew that His Majesty wouldn't care about these things.

Most importantly, even the most exceptionally talented person could only achieve this through tireless dedication and countless responsibilities.

Therefore, I cannot let useless nonsense waste His Majesty's precious time.

Mao Wenlong knelt on the ground and waited quietly.

Then, a sentence he would never forget exploded in his ears like a thunderclap.

"The soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town have done a great job. What the Ming Dynasty owes you, I will repay slowly."

Upon hearing this, Mao Wenlong suddenly felt as if something was blocking his throat.

The words he had conceived and rehearsed hundreds of times at the post station were now completely uttered.

Mao Wenlong, who was kneeling on the ground, began to tremble violently all over.

Just now.

A pair of rough, strong hands supported his arms. He looked up sharply and found that the person who had supported him was none other than His Majesty, who had just been sitting in front of him!
Two streams of tears welled up in Mao Wenlong's eyes, and all the negative emotions that had accumulated in his heart over the past few years vanished at this moment.

The trembling Mao Wenlong was helped to a chair by Zhu Youjian.

Wang Chengen also brought over a pot of tea and placed it on the table, saying with a smile, "Lord Mao, have some tea to calm your mind."

Mao Wenlong raised his teacup and drank it all in one gulp, which gave him a chance to speak again, but his hands inside his official robes still trembled uncontrollably.

"His Majesty."

Zhu Youjian didn't waste any words, but continued to instruct Wang Chengen:
“Take 500,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury to fund the military pay for Dongjiang Town this year, and have the Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly escort it.”

Wang Chengen bowed and replied, "This servant obeys the order and will immediately go and make arrangements."

"His Majesty."

Zhu Youjian waved his hand, interrupting Mao Wenlong again.

"There's no need for any useless talk. Tell me about the situation in Liaodong."

Mao Wenlong's chest heaved several times before he slowly calmed himself down and said, "Your Majesty, although the situation in Liaodong is critical, it is not beyond saving."

"The fundamental reason for the current weakness of Liaodong is that the soldiers' pay is often delayed, and the lower-ranking soldiers have no will to fight. Moreover, the Jin people are not as brave and skilled in battle as rumored."

“Whenever the imperial court issues salaries, a portion is first divided up outside the capital, followed by local officials and military officers. It never ends up in the hands of the soldiers.”

"Even so, many places in Liaodong still had the ability to fight against the Jurchens."

"If we can eliminate this great threat, the Jurchens will be nothing to fear."

"Besides that, another major reason is that some powerful families and generals in the court have colluded with the Jurchens in private, raising bandits to enhance their own power and seize huge profits from them!"

Zhu Youjian nodded in response to Mao Wenlong's words.

Given the superiority of the Han Chinese race, unless the circumstances were truly exceptional, they would not have been able to be suppressed and beaten by other races.

This perfectly illustrates the saying, "The Ming army is invincible when its pay is insufficient, but when it is fully paid."

Looking at Mao Wenlong, Zhu Youjian suddenly asked a question completely unrelated to the previous conversation:
What do you think of Yuan Chonghuan?

PS: Today is Monday, and the new book list has been updated. If you have any monthly tickets, please help by casting one or two!

　The Manchus also recruited some surrendered Ming soldiers. As a result, the originally weak Ming army, after being paid enough silver, immediately became extremely capable fighters.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)