The Ming Dynasty: Starting with the border troops, it was overthrown and the Qing Dynasty was destro

Chapter 94 If you don't take it, how can I take it?
Emperor Chongzhen was completely baffled, so he frowned and continued to ask:

"Then why not first appease Wang Jiayin, who has even greater power?"

Wen Tiren immediately picked up the conversation and added:
"Although Wang Jiayin was also a border soldier, he had been rebelling for a long time and had deep grudges with the government troops, so he was not easy to appease."

"Moreover, Wang Jiayin's troops are composed of diverse individuals and numerous factions, including many starving peasants and bandits, making them ideal to be divided and annihilated!"

"Jiang Han's troops were mostly soldiers from the former Yansui Garrison who were loyal to the emperor. They only rebelled because of the harshness of the former general Wu Zimian. I suppose most of them are still loyal to the emperor and the country."

Wen Tiren paused for a moment, then gave his opinion.

"The court could send a capable official to reason with him and appeal to his emotions, and then appoint him to a military position such as a guerrilla commander or a brigade commander. Perhaps then they could win him over and incorporate him into their ranks."

"In this way, not only can a great disaster be averted, but the court can also gain several thousand more soldiers to fight for nothing."

"Having this elite force will be of great benefit, whether for suppressing other bandits or for resisting the Eastern barbarians in the future!"

After hearing this, Chongzhen rubbed his temples and silently weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

With the national treasury empty and military strength strained, it is indeed not advisable to open up new battlefields. Appeasement may be a better option.

"Ugh"

Emperor Chongzhen sighed deeply, his tone filled with helplessness and exhaustion.

"Alright! As you two ministers have suggested, let Governor-General Yang He of the Three Borders act according to the circumstances and allow him to pacify the bandits. Whether it succeeds or not, let him decide for himself."

“I will personally send an eunuch to deal with Jiang Han.”

Emperor Chongzhen remained suspicious and unwilling to trust these officials, so he decided to send an official from within the court to Shanxi to pacify Jiang Han.

After making the arrangements, Chongzhen suddenly remembered something else: the defeated generals in Shaanxi had not yet been dealt with!
He slammed his hand on the table, looked at Wang Chengen beside him, and shouted sternly:

"Draft an edict!"

Inside Yulin Town, the eunuch Zhao Jinzhong was reading out the emperor's decree in his hoarse voice.

"By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Since I received the Mandate of Heaven to ascend the throne, I have been diligent and cautious day and night to ensure the stability of the nation."

"Upon investigation, it has been found that Ai Mu, the military commander of Yan'an, failed in his efforts to suppress bandits, resulting in the loss of troops and disgrace to the nation. The Ministry of Justice is hereby ordered to deliberate on his punishment immediately and execute him as a warning to others."

“Wang Chengen, the general of Lintao, was incompetent in commanding his troops and suffered a major defeat at Ganquan. He should have been dismissed from his post and punished.”

"Considering his past minor merits, he is hereby demoted to the rank of Commander of a Thousand-Household Army and allowed to remain under the command of Hong Chengchou. However, if he delays military operations again, he will be arrested and executed!"

"He Huchen, the General of Ningxia, was stationed at a strategic point but allowed the enemy to escape eastward, resulting in the annihilation of Li Bei's entire army. His crime is the same as playing with the enemy!"

"He is hereby stripped of his general's seal and demoted to guerrilla commander, to lead the remaining troops while bearing his punishment. If he fails to quell the bandits within six months, he will be punished for both crimes!"

“Li Bei fought bravely and died for his country. Although he was defeated, he was still heroic. He was specially granted special favors and his son was allowed to enter the Embroidered Uniform Guard and be granted a hereditary position. The Ministry of War was instructed to discuss and grant him a generous posthumous honor.”

"All my subjects should take this as a warning. If they dare to be negligent or deceive anyone again, they will be punished without mercy by the Emperor's sword!"

So be it!
As the eunuch Zhao Jinzhong finished reading the imperial edict, Yang He was preparing to get up and step forward to receive it.

But Zhao Jinzhong remained calm and took out another imperial edict, which he then read aloud. Yang He was taken aback and quickly knelt down to receive the edict.

"Kou is also one of our children; we should treat him with kindness."

"A special allocation of 100,000 taels of silver from the imperial treasury was made specifically for the purpose of pacifying the people, providing relief, and reorganizing surrendered soldiers. Censor Wu Sheng was dispatched to Shaanxi with the silver to personally oversee the distribution of the funds."

"Alas, my subjects! I have nourished the people with my own flesh and blood. If you continue to deceive and mislead, causing our people to be displaced and the rebels to rise again, the laws of the land will show no leniency!"

"Appreciate this!"

A sharp voice echoed in the hall. The imperial eunuch Zhao Jinzhong closed the imperial edict, a half-smile on his face, and looked at Yang He kneeling on the ground.

At this moment, Yang He, who was kneeling on the ground, was dumbfounded after hearing this.
Innocent children? Appeasement? 100,000 taels of silver?
Shaanxi is in such a state, and Your Majesty, you've only managed to allocate 100,000 taels of silver.
How can he possibly appease them? What can he offer in terms of relief? With words alone?!
But he dared not say these words to Zhao Jinzhong, and he didn't even dare to show the slightest dissatisfaction on his face.

"Alas, angels have come from afar, thank you for your hard work."

Yang He carefully organized his words, attempting to subtly remind Zhao Jinzhong,
"But... Angel, look, the number of people suffering in Shaanxi is well over a million, and the various rebel groups are also gaining momentum. Isn't 100,000 taels a bit too little?" Zhao Jinzhong rolled his eyes at Yang He upon hearing this.
"What's wrong, Governor Yang? Do you think the Emperor's gift is too little?"

Yang He quickly shook his head:

"Don't dare, don't dare."

Zhao Jinzhong looked coldly at Yang He:

"We have to remind you!"

"His Majesty has been working tirelessly day and night for the sake of the country and the people of Shaanxi!"

"The palace's expenses have been reduced again and again. Regular clothes are only changed once a month, and the daily diet consists of no more than three dishes!"

"In order to raise funds for the army, they even sold some valuable items from the inner palace!"

Zhao Jinzhong stepped forward, staring intently at Yang He, his tone becoming increasingly hostile.
"His Majesty himself has to tighten his belt to squeeze out this 100,000 taels of relief money for you!"

"You, Yang He, are quite something! Instead of showing consideration for His Majesty, you dare to complain that it's too little?!"

"What? You want the Emperor to go without food and water, saving his rations to feed those rebellious commoners who killed officials?!"

A barrage of questions pounded on Yang He's head like a hammer, each one piercing his heart!

Yang He was so embarrassed by the rebuke that his face turned red and he was sweating profusely. He didn't dare to say another word.
He quickly lowered his head and gave an embarrassed smile:
"Angels, calm your anger! Angels, calm your anger!"

"I had no such intention! His Majesty is compassionate towards the people, and I am deeply grateful. How could I dare to utter the slightest complaint!"

Hearing this, Zhao Jinzhong nodded and stopped pursuing the matter.

He changed the subject and continued:

"This money is earmarked for a specific purpose! There are specific rules for how it will be used."

"Now, Imperial Censor Wu will explain the details to Governor-General Yang."

As Zhao Jinzhong finished speaking, a middle-aged official standing behind him stepped forward.

This man had a thin face and sharp eyes. He was Wu Sheng, the newly appointed Inspector General of Shaanxi and Censor General, who had come with Zhao Jinzhong.

Wu Sheng bowed to Yang He, then dismissed his attendants, leaving only Zhao Jinzhong and Yang He.

After everyone had left, Wu Sheng slowly spoke:
"Governor Yang, I have discussed it with Eunuch Zhao, and we plan to distribute the 100,000 taels of silver in this way."

He held up his finger.
"First, allocate 30,000 taels of silver and entrust it to Shi Kefa, the prefectural judge of Xi'an, to go to the southern prefectures and counties to pacify the rebels."

"Secondly, allocate another 30,000 taels and give it to Governor Hong of Yansui to go to the northern region to pacify the rebels."

Yang He was taken aback and subconsciously asked:

"What about the remaining 40,000 taels?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Sheng revealed a meaningful smile:

"The remaining 40,000 taels are, of course, for officials at all levels to provide relief to the disaster victims."

Upon hearing this, Yang He immediately became anxious. He didn't have much silver to begin with, and now he was going to take away nearly half of it. How was he supposed to pacify the bandits?

But Wu Sheng waved his hand, signaling him to calm down:

"Governor Yang, you surely understand the principle that to save the people, you must first save the officials, right?"

"If there weren't some benefits, which of the officials in the prefectures and counties would be willing to sincerely run errands for you?"
"Who would be willing to risk their life to appease those desperados?"

Wu Sheng's smile remained unchanged. He pointed at Yang He, then at himself, and said earnestly,
"If you don't take it, how can I take it? If I don't take it, how will Governor Hong take it?"

"If Governor Hong doesn't take it, how will the people below him take it?"

(End of this chapter)