Take control of Wei Zhongxian at the start and confiscate 100 million from him!

Chapter 345 I am rich!

Zhu Youjian looked at his frightened appearance, but only smiled faintly, got up and personally helped him up and pressed him back into his seat.

"Duke of England, I understand all that you have to say," the Emperor said in a calm but firm voice, "but I still want to use you."

He paused, looking at Zhang Weixian's still bewildered eyes, and explained:

"The Ministry of War is now in a mess because of those civil officials. They embezzle soldiers' pay, sell official positions, and all sorts of other problems that are hard to get rid of. If I don't send one of my own people who understands the military, loves the soldiers, and can keep things in order, do I expect those pedantic scholars who only know how to talk nonsense to clean it up?"
The so-called ancestral rules were established by our ancestors to strengthen the nation and ensure its stability. Now, times have changed, and if we cling to outdated practices, the nation will cease to exist! What I need are capable and efficient officials, not mediocre ones who blindly follow the rules! As for the censors…”

Zhu Youjian smiled and said, "If they dare to say anything more, I will summon them to see me! I want to ask them whether the fate of my Great Ming Dynasty is more important than their ridiculous sectarian prejudices! I have made my decision on this matter. You will temporarily take over this post and get the Ministry of War in order for me. This is my decree."

The emperor's words carried immense weight, striking Zhang Weixian's heart like a hammer blow.

He could hear the unparalleled, domineering, and authoritarian air in the emperor's words.

As before, he still possessed an absolute confidence that completely disregarded so-called ancestral rules and public opinion.

Zhang Weixian opened his mouth, wanting to decline, but found that any words seemed so pale and powerless in front of such an emperor.

He could only sigh deeply, kneel down again, and this time, he accepted the imperial decree: "Your subject...accepts the decree and thanks Your Majesty! I will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust, dedicate myself to the cause until my dying breath!"

"Good!" Zhu Youjian nodded in satisfaction. "Get up. I called you here today not only for this matter, but also to analyze with you the current state of our Great Ming Dynasty."

After saying that, he led Zhang Weixian, who was still somewhat uneasy, to a warm pavilion on the side of the main hall.

There were no tables or chairs in this warm pavilion, only an enormous "Complete Map of the Nine Borders and Myriad Countries of the Ming Dynasty" spread on the floor, showing mountains, rivers, cities, and garrisons in exquisite detail.

Zhu Youjian personally picked up a long, gilded wooden pole and stood in front of the painting, exuding an aura of dominance and arrogance.

“Your Excellency, look.”

His wooden pole was first used to mark the core of the map—Shuntian Prefecture.

"This is the capital region of our Great Ming Dynasty. Looking across the world, this place can be considered the safest."

Zhu Youjian's voice was full of confidence: "Through your efforts, the 50,000 elite troops of the Beijing Garrison have been reorganized and are now a sharp sword in my hand. They are well-trained, well-equipped, and their morale is high."

With such a powerful army at our command, the defense of the capital region, if not impregnable, is certainly as solid as Mount Tai. As the central authority, I no longer need to worry about threats from within my own ranks.

When the Beijing garrison was mentioned, Zhang Weixian straightened his back unconsciously.

This is his most prized masterpiece.

He recalled the old, weak, sick, and disabled "capital garrison" of two and a half years ago, which was exploited by soldiers, paid for its own work, and had no combat capability. Compared with the disciplined and fiercely aggressive army of today, it felt like a lifetime ago.

All of this stemmed from the young emperor's unwavering support and trust.

Without the emperor's strong opposition, execution of nobles, and investigation of land ownership, Zhang Weixian, no matter how capable he was, would never have been able to train such a powerful army in such a short time.

“This is all due to Your Majesty’s divine power; I dare not take credit for it,” Zhang Weixian said sincerely.

Zhu Youjian smiled and drew the wooden pole northward along the map, marking the Mongolian grasslands beyond Xuanfu and Datong.

"And look to the north," he said, his tone growing increasingly triumphant. "I have formed an alliance with Ligdan Khan of the Chahar tribe, bestowing upon him annual tributes and opening horse markets to each other in exchange for him guarding the northern border for my Great Ming. Not long ago, I secretly ordered Man Gui to send troops to join forces with Ligdan Khan, and in one fell swoop wiped out the Khorchin tribe, which was colluding with the Later Jin!" Zhang Weixian's eyes widened instantly, and his breathing became rapid!
This groundbreaking and ambitious project gave him immense satisfaction at the time!

The Khorchin were the maternal clan of Huang Taiji, the most important ally of the Later Jin in Mongolia, and the essential route and logistical base for Huang Taiji whenever he bypassed the border to raid the enemy!
The elimination of this force was like severing one of Huang Taiji's arms, and it completely blocked his route to launch a surprise attack on the capital region via Mongolia! This meant that the border defense pressure along the Xuanfu, Datong, and Jizhou line would be reduced by more than half!

Governor-General Man Gui can focus all his energy on frontal defense without any worries about the rear!

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhang Weixian's voice trembled slightly.

To be honest, he and the other nobles never dreamed that this problem, which had plagued the Ming Dynasty for nearly a century, would be resolved by the new emperor with such swift and decisive means as alliances and attacks!
"With the north at peace and the capital secure," Zhu Youjian tapped the wooden stick, "this is the central position in the chessboard of my Great Ming Dynasty, firmly in my grasp. And to achieve all this, there is a third point—"

He retracted the wooden pole, looked at Zhang Weixian, and slowly said, "I am rich now."

These words, spoken plainly, sounded more powerful to Zhang Weixian than any grand pronouncements!
Zhu Youjian said casually, "There is still some money left in my imperial treasury. At least enough to support one or two major battles, so that I will no longer be as strapped for cash as before and subject to the control of others at every turn."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Weixian could no longer contain his excitement.

He recalled the humiliation and frustration he had felt as a military officer in the past.

The soldiers on the frontier fought valiantly, yet the imperial court couldn't even provide them with the full amount of rations and pay. The Ministry of War demanded money, while the Ministry of Revenue cried poverty. When a small amount of funds was finally allocated, it was siphoned off at each level, leaving the soldiers with almost nothing.

Thinking back to how he had to fawn over those bloated officials in the Ministry of Revenue in order to secure winter clothing funds for his men, and even had to seek an audience with the powerful Emperor Jiuyuan, having to watch the faces of his adopted sons and grandsons.

The sky was gray back then.

The imperial court at that time was corrupt.

Although the late Emperor Tianqi was not an evil ruler, he was obsessed with carpentry and entrusted the reins of the country entirely to the eunuch Wei Zhongxian.

The entire court of officials either became part of the eunuch faction, colluding with them in corruption, or formed factions within the Donglin Party, engaging in empty talk and misleading the country.

Who has ever truly turned their attention to the soldiers who froze and starved to death in the snow and ice of the border?
Who has ever truly considered the plight of this nation teetering on the brink of collapse?
Zhang Weixian held the title of Duke of England in vain, unable to serve the emperor or bring peace to the people. He could only watch helplessly as the empire built by his ancestors rotted away from its roots, like a hollowed-out tree.

He woke up countless times in the middle of the night, dreaming that Emperor Taizong and his ancestor, Duke Zhongzhuang, were glaring at him from the sky, questioning him about why he was like this!
And now...

The Beijing garrison is powerful and a force capable of fighting!

The north is safe and secure; it is a land that can be defended!

The imperial treasury is full, and the money is readily available!

All these changes happened in just two short years!
This young emperor, who was only seventeen years old, first seized the wealth of the eight major Shanxi merchants with lightning speed after ascending the throne, using it as a means to strengthen his military. Then, he reorganized the capital garrison with ruthless measures, executed the nobles, and seized control of the capital's military power. Subsequently, he skillfully maneuvered to form an alliance with the Mongols to eliminate the enemy, thus relieving the threat to the northern border that had plagued the region for decades.

Every step he took was so precise, so ruthless, so unexpected, yet each step was interconnected and in accordance with the great Dao!

What magnanimity! What courage! What wisdom!
Zhang Weixian felt a surge of heat rush from his chest to his eyes, and everything before his eyes became blurry.

He seemed to see his ancestors, and the countless heroic spirits who fought alongside Emperor Chengzu in the Jingnan Campaign. The anger on their faces seemed to be gradually dissipating, turning into a relieved smile.

Glory to our ancestors!
That glory, lost for so long, belonging to military merit and to the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, seems to have... returned!
(End of this chapter)