The Mysterious Ming Dynasty: The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom

"Ascend."

"Given Li Zicheng's power, can he live up to the expectations of the people and, like the founding emperor of this dynasty, revitalize the world?"

Cao Youyi couldn't help but ask.

Such a rebellious question seemed insignificant after Si Chen explained it to him.

After all, the Ming Dynasty was destined to perish.

Time and life.

Those who rise to power through this will inevitably perish through it.

Liu Ji looked up at Si Chen, seemingly also yearning for an answer.

Over the years, the Six Ding and Six Jia have followed Si Chen in slaying demons and monsters, and have witnessed much of the suffering of the common people.

But how much can they really help?

Si Chen alone can defeat a thousand troops, but he cannot kill off the tens of thousands of refugees who rise up in rebellion. This is the difference between the hearts and minds of the people.

If people don't have enough to eat, they will find their own way to get food.

Si Chen gazed at the red sun on the horizon, "Li Zicheng was nothing more than a vanguard for the king."

"Why? Are those 800,000 troops just for show?" Cao Youyi asked, puzzled.

Si Chen stood up.

"It is said that wise rulers plan for danger and control change, but the mandate of Heaven cannot be refused, the state cannot be left without a ruler, the Chinese nation cannot be without a leader, and the people cannot be without a leader."

"Since they started out, have they ever engaged in any business or construction? They've only ever plundered."

"The Ming Dynasty devoted 50% of its energy to resisting foreign invaders on the nine borders, 40% to disaster relief, and 10% to suppressing bandits."

"For seventeen years, the most loyal people of the Ming Dynasty have died first, followed closely by the most upright."

"Only a bunch of hypocrites and scoundrels are left repeating themselves on stage."

"Li Zicheng didn't win; he just wiped out all the pillars of the Ming Dynasty."

"They defeated Sun Chuanting, a general who had been imprisoned for nearly three years, and a group of soldiers who were short of food and clothing."

"But their power has expanded so rapidly that those in high positions have no opportunity to humble themselves and build a solid foundation."

"How should we deal with those Eight Banners and cannibalistic Rakshasa who were blocked by the Ming Dynasty outside Shanhaiguan?"

Winning what you shouldn't have won, losing what you shouldn't have lost.

The Shun dynasty was militarily inept, which was the root of all the tragedies.

Those with constant assets have constant ambition. Da Shun has no base of operations or a team. Even after experiencing failures, he will still wander around. This is a path dependency ingrained in his bones.

Liu Ji raised her hand, "But they say that if the rebel leader comes, we won't have to pay taxes..."

Si Chen glanced at it. "Do you believe that?"

"letter."

Liu Ji responded weakly, saying that she really did believe it.

Those ordinary people all believed it.

"When the rebel leader comes, we won't have to pay taxes"—what a catchy slogan!

"Like drinking water, only the person drinking knows whether it's hot or cold. You're just fooling others, how come you're fooling yourself too?" Si Chen never believed such nonsense, especially nonsense without any actual action.

"Beware of all those glamorous and lofty slogans."

"All talk and no action."

"It's nothing but deception and theft of reputation."

Liu Ji couldn't help but ask, "Does that include you?"

The crowd glared at them angrily.

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

"The Great Teacher will always be right, always wise and mighty. Like the sun, he will shine upon us forever."

"Hey, she's right." Si Chen laughed. "If one day all the people in the world think I'm a fraud, then it means I've gone astray. There will be someone who can shoulder the responsibility of the world and save the people, and they will rise up to fight for it."

Everyone was stunned.

Si Chen laughed loudly and stormed out the door.

"Take control of the entire area from both banks of the Haihe River to Dagukou. Take over the forts and the estuary. Absorb the refugees from the Sanchahekou area; they are trapped here, without money or warm clothes, and fear they will freeze to death in the winter."

"The superior is merciful."

The crowd bowed, but when they looked up again, Si Chen was nowhere to be seen.

Knights went out in all directions.

Traveling along the Haihe River.

The soldiers at the fortified passes along the Haihe River surrendered upon seeing the approaching cavalry.

The Dagu Forts were practically useless.

The salt workers saw the righteous soldiers riding in, dressed in fine clothes, wearing armor and helmets, charging into the enemy lines with their horses' necks held high. Their military might was formidable, and the soldiers dared not offend them.

Cao Youyi arrived by carriage, bringing with him literate men from the city, and occupied the place.

All the wealth and goods left behind by the Pu merchants were confiscated and collected into the Shuifu Public Treasury.

According to the rationing system, military law was used to manage tens of thousands of salt workers, and more than 30 salt smugglers were exposed, reported, and executed.

Regardless of their origins, all were beheaded and their heads hung on the mast.

The twelve Tiger Guards, with white feathers tucked into their waists, wielded swords that gleamed like autumn lotuses from their sheaths, and circled the coast of Dagukou, following the river.

The distance from Sanchahekou to Dagukou in Tianjin is nearly 140 li (approximately 70 kilometers), and the area is well-ordered.

Within a radius of a hundred miles, people from the ghost market fled in panic.

Sanchahekou

The righteous followers, carrying apricot-colored horses, circled the refugee camp three times, declaring, "By order of the Great Teacher of Virtue, may all refugees find peace and safety, and may no one be misled."

"On this auspicious day and time, by the mercy of Your Majesty, today the heavens have granted you your blessings. Let not yourselves suffer and freeze to death, your corpses left to rot in the wilderness, with nowhere to go."

"Hurry up and thank the emperor for his reward!"

The righteous attitude was exactly what the refugees wanted.

If a benefactor suddenly becomes overly compassionate, it's most likely that they're scheming to take advantage of you. But what's even more frightening is that you have absolutely no value to them.

Si Chen left the refugees stranded around the camp for many days for this very reason.

When people are hungry, they have no bottom line and are prone to bullying the weak and fearing the strong.

In this corrupt world, compassion is a luxury reserved for the strong.

It is already an immense blessing that Si Chen was able to allow the young and strong to live, to continue the bloodline and clan, and to prevent the lineage from dying out.

A more flexible way to put it is to reduce the burden.

"Your Honor, the Upright Official!"

"May your esteemed lord and noble descendants live forever!"

The faint sound of refugees shouting "Long live the Emperor!" could be heard.

The Six Ding Gods set up numerous shelters, soup kitchens, hot soup, and wood ash along the Haihe River. They helped the displaced people ward off the cold, bathe and change clothes, and even turned the river channels black.

The air was filled with the fragrance of artemisia on the riverbank, and a bowl of medicinal soup with honey was drunk.

The refugees, who were on the verge of death, were instantly brought back to life.

The fish were boiled in a large amount of salt to make soup, with a little mithril added to the water to preserve their vitality.

People who have been hungry for a long time should not be given food too quickly.

Multiple small quantities.

Otherwise, your stomach will really burst from being so full, because you've been starving for so long that you're numb.

Tiangong picked up a sledgehammer and struck, sending out huge waves of heat.

The newly arrived Sinong was tending to the pasture and medicinal herbs in the greenhouse.

The original refugee camp was burned to the ground.

The righteous followers drove them away from the outside, while the six Ding breathed out divine fire, burning and destroying everything in sight.

Suddenly, a large number of white rat-men emerged from the crowd. They lived among the refugees, feeding on carrion and gnawing on bones.

Yi spurred his horse forward, spear in hand, and rode off. He raised his bow, nocked an arrow, and fired several times, felling the rat-man to the ground.

The air smelled foul.

But fire can burn everything.

This is a necessary measure to prevent the spread of the plague.

Before long, the dusty, grimy people were finally able to be made out of human form.

Inside each low brick house, people were making fires, twisting ropes, and weaving fishing nets.

The people of the Acropolis, looking at the orderly refugees, had a sense of being in another world.

This was clearly a normal disaster relief procedure by the imperial court.

Only a few decades after the Wanli era, all disaster-stricken areas were exempted from taxes, disaster relief and famine relief were provided, and prices were low.

How did the world become like this?

After the problem of food and clothing is solved, someone will always be held responsible for the chaos of the past.

We call this liquidation.

How can we move towards the future without settling past scores?

Those who dwell on the past are going against the grain; those who know the future are following the natural order.

that is it.