Emperor Chongzhen was too extreme.

Chapter 46: Trust those you employ, kill those you doubt.
Upon hearing the name Yuan Chonghuan, Mao Wenlong immediately clenched his fist in the sleeve of his official robe.

These three words were far more hateful to him than Huang Taiji.

Because Huang Taiji was of a different ethnicity.

But Yuan Chonghuan was an out-and-out traitor.

Judging from the current situation, the destructive power of traitors to the Ming Dynasty is much greater than that of foreign tribes.

Or rather, regardless of whether Yuan Chonghuan truly intended to be a traitor, his actions certainly lived up to the label of "traitor."

First of all.

It's not something a human being would do to stand by and do nothing in the matter of Juehua Island.

Second.

It is an indisputable fact that he had many collusions with the Jurchens and powerful families in private.

Even from a young age, this child raised by a maid began to register her as a "registered official" in order to facilitate her taking the imperial examinations.

Despite being publicly reported, he repeatedly refused to change his ways and disregarded the law.

Shouldn't such a thing be killed?!
Not to mention that Mao Wenlong and Yuan Chonghuan had a great personal grudge—Yuan Chonghuan blamed him entirely for the massacre on Juehua Island.

Then this beast turned around and wrote a memorial praising the "Great Victory at Ningyuan".

It even encouraged the spread of rumors.

It is said that Nurhaci (a derogatory term used by the Ming Dynasty) was killed last year when Nurhaci was hit by a cannonball in Ningyuan City.

This man's methods were so vile that Mao Wenlong would sometimes laugh in anger.

Nurhaci, an old man who was almost seventy years old, lived for another six months after his great plundering at Ningyuan.

He even personally led an attack on Lower Mongolia during this period.

How could Yuan Chonghuan have the audacity to allow such rumors to be spread in order to gain political capital for himself?

Humans cannot, or at least should not.
In Mao Wenlong's view, this barbarian's skin was so thick that he could withstand the cannons of the Red Barbarians.

National hatred and personal grievances piled up.

Mao Wenlong immediately knelt heavily on the ground from his chair: "Your Majesty, please forgive this old minister for speaking so frankly!"

"Yuan Chonghuan was a two-faced and utterly despicable man! At the same time, he colluded with the Jurchens and powerful clans!"

"If anyone recommends Yuan Chonghuan to you, you must not use him! Otherwise, Liaodong will be in grave danger!"

After listening to Mao Wenlong's account, Zhu Youjian did not reply, but simply handed him the two memorials from that afternoon.

Mao Wenlong took the memorial, paused for a moment, and then immediately began to read it.

The more he looked, the more serious his expression became.

After reading the two memorials, Mao Wenlong fell silent.

For powerful families and civil officials, it was not unusual to offer up a city for personal gain.

The Emperor has been killing people in the capital lately, and they will surely join forces to retaliate.

At the same time, Mao Wenlong was deeply moved that His Majesty had allowed him to review these two memorials, which meant that His Majesty had already regarded him as a trusted confidant.

Thinking of this, Mao Wenlong knelt down again and said, "Your Majesty, for the sake of the overall situation, you must be patient and reinstate Yuan Chonghuan, that scoundrel, in order to temporarily stabilize those aristocratic families. Otherwise, Ningyuan City will most likely be lost."

"But please rest assured, Your Majesty, this old minister will lead the soldiers and civilians of Dongjiang Town to secretly restrain Yuan Chonghuan and prevent any major mishaps in Liaodong, thus buying Your Majesty time!"

In the past, Mao Wenlong would not have had the confidence to say such a thing.

but now.

With the 500,000 taels of silver personally allocated by His Majesty, he will definitely be able to withstand the pressure from all sides for a period of time.

Mao Wenlong knew very well that with His Majesty's wisdom, Yuan Chonghuan and his group would not be able to cause trouble for long.

Zhu Youjian didn't pay much attention to Mao Wenlong's words.

Yuan Chonghuan was a man destined to die. It would have been better if Mao Wenlong had been there to keep him in check; without Mao Wenlong's checks and balances, he wouldn't have been able to cause any trouble.

What truly concerned him was the overall situation in Liaodong.

So Zhu Youjian continued to inquire, "What is the current situation in Korea?" Zhu Youjian looked at the map.

North Korea.

This is an extremely important strategic geographical location for the future task of destroying the Jin dynasty.

North Korea is located southeast of Liaodong.

Relying on this natural position, it was easy to put the Jurchens in a situation where they were attacked from both sides.

Moreover, Joseon was an agricultural country, which could provide the Ming army with a large amount of food and supplies.

However, it is precisely because of this extremely important geographical location.

At the beginning of this year, North Korea was invaded by the Jurchens, and the two sides signed the Treaty of Gangdo, nominally becoming fraternal allies.

Therefore, Zhu Youjian can only learn about the specific situation in North Korea from Mao Wenlong.

When Mao Wenlong heard His Majesty ask about the situation in Korea, he quickly replied, "Your Majesty, during the Dingmao Campaign, the Jurchens massacred tens of thousands of civilians throughout Korea and plundered a large amount of supplies and provisions."

"Therefore, although North Korea signed a peace treaty with the Jurchens, it actually harbored great resentment towards them. It could only outwardly cooperate with them due to their strength."

"Secretly, Joseon continued to provide aid to Dongjiang Town as usual, and allowed our Ming ships to dock temporarily for rest and resupply."

"only."

After a moment's hesitation, Mao Wenlong finally chose to tell the whole truth:
"However, there are already some people in the Joseon court who are dissatisfied with me. If this were in the past, I'm afraid it wouldn't have been long before something changed."

"But now, thanks to the funds allocated by His Majesty, this urgent situation can be greatly alleviated."

"I intend to take a portion of these funds to bribe Korean officials. This will surely bring Korea closer to our Great Ming."

Upon hearing Mao Wenlong's answer, Zhu Youjian quickly pondered in his mind.

Joseon and Ming had a tributary relationship, meaning Joseon was a vassal state of Ming.

When a vassal state is invaded, the suzerain state can offer no assistance whatsoever.

Meanwhile, Korea continued to provide aid to the Ming Dynasty and had not completely sided with the Jin Dynasty, which could already be considered as loyalty.

As a politician, Zhu Youjian knew that you couldn't expect them to remain completely loyal to the Ming Dynasty under these circumstances.

That's not politics, that's hysteria.

The only thing politicians need to think about is how to maximize their own country's interests.

Zhu Youjian did not hesitate and continued, "I will allocate an additional 200,000 taels of silver to you, as well as a batch of antiques, paintings, and rare treasures."

"Use these things to make sure you handle relations with North Korea well."

"Your Majesty." Mao Wenlong's throat tightened again.

This trust fueled Mao Wenlong's already burning desire to serve, making him even more fanatical.

Zhu Youjian waved his hand, interrupting Mao Wenlong.

Trust those you employ, and kill those you doubt.

For him, having chosen to use Mao Wenlong, there was no reason to doubt it anymore.

"Remember, you must make sure that Korea moves closer to the Ming Dynasty. I will keep Korea here for great use in the future."

Mao Wenlong knelt on the ground and solemnly said, "Your subject obeys the decree! I will certainly not fail Your Majesty's trust!"

"You may continue to act as you see fit in all matters in Dongjiang Town. You do not need to report or ask for instructions on every matter. You may make your own decisions."

Mao Wenlong was thrilled: "Your Majesty, I obey! From now on, I will send a secret report to Your Majesty every fifteen days, regardless of whether it is a major or minor matter in Dongjiang Town!"

then.

After exchanging a few more words with Mao Wenlong, Zhu Youjian had him escorted out of the palace gates, and then immediately gave instructions to Wang Chengen:
"Go and bring Zhang Weixian here."

　As the Governor-General of Jiliao, Yuan Chonghuan was at the forefront of the fight against the Jin dynasty and demanded nearly ten million taels of silver in military pay from the imperial court.

　　Then the Jurchens bypassed the defenses and went straight to the capital without encountering any obstacles along the way.

　　Whether the match was fixed or not, the result is acceptable.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)