I, Emperor Chongzhen, have extended the life of the Ming Dynasty by five hundred years.

The 10th day of the third month of the 17th year of the Chongzhen reign of the Ming Dynasty.

Dark clouds loomed over Beijing, as if foreshadowing impending disaster.

A fast horse galloped in from Xizhimen. The rider was covered in dust, and two conspicuous red command flags were stuck behind him, indicating that the military situation was of the highest urgency, also known as the 600-li urgent dispatch.

"Datong has fallen, Xuanfu has fallen, and the rebel leader Li Zicheng is approaching Juyong Pass..."

The fast horse galloped recklessly through the streets, heading straight for the Forbidden City, with passersby scrambling to make way.

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, piercing through the clouds, followed by a deafening clap of thunder, and then a torrential downpour began.

In another timeline, in a rented room in the suburbs of Beijing, programmer Zhu Wei is cursing loudly at his computer screen: "What kind of bug is this damn game! How come my character, which I spent 3,000 yuan on, suddenly died?"

He angrily slammed his fist on the keyboard, but accidentally knocked over the can of cola on the table.

Liquid flowed into the socket through the gaps in the keyboard, causing sparks to fly everywhere.

"Holy crap—"

Zhu Wei's vision went black, and he silently cursed in his heart, "I should have bought that waterproof keyboard..."

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"

In a daze, Zhu Wei felt someone gently shaking him.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw a clean, beardless face almost touching the tip of his nose.

Who are you?

The old eunuch before him looked bewildered: "This old servant, Wang Chengen, Your Majesty... are you unwell?"

Zhu Wei looked around. The bed, adorned with carved dragons and phoenixes, was draped with bright yellow curtains, and a faint scent of sandalwood filled the air. Outside, thunder and rain raged, and occasionally a flash of lightning illuminated the room, revealing the mountain of memorials piled on the desk.

He reached down to his thigh and pinched it hard...

"Aww—"

It hurts! It's not a dream!

"I've time-traveled? And I've become Emperor Chongzhen?"

Zhu Wei muttered to himself, then suddenly remembered something and hurriedly asked, "What year is it now?"

Wang Chengen looked worried and said cautiously, "The seventeenth year of Chongzhen's reign."

"Which month?"

"Three, March..."

Zhu Wei—no, he should be called Zhu Youjian now—suddenly felt a darkness before his eyes.

As a seasoned history enthusiast, he knew all too well what this point in time meant!

There are only a dozen days left before the Daming Group declares bankruptcy!

No matter what, he's still an emperor, which is better than being a lowly soldier... Wait, an emperor whose country is about to fall seems even worse?

Because as the chairman of the group, he would soon be hanging from a crooked tree on Coal Hill.

Wang Chengen, thinking the Chongzhen Emperor was still half asleep, whispered, "Your Majesty, an urgent report has arrived from the front lines. Grand Secretary Chen, the Duke of Cheng, and others are already waiting outside the palace!"

Zhu Youjian hurriedly asked, "Has Li Zicheng broken in?"

"Not yet, not yet, the rebels have just arrived at Juyong Pass..."

Zhu Youjian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Before Li Zicheng arrived, he quickly made his escape!

There's still a team in Nanjing; if they can stabilize half the country, there's still hope of winning back the country.

I refuse to believe it! As a time traveler, how can I not turn the tables?

"Prepare your carriage!"

Inside the Fengtian Hall, a dozen ministers were engaged in a heated debate.

Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out: "His Majesty has arrived!"

The courtiers immediately ceased their argument, bowed in unison, and shouted "Long live the Emperor!"

Zhu Youjian stepped forward, sat on the dragon throne, and reached out to touch the pure gold backrest, which felt a little uncomfortable.

Grand Secretary Chen Yan stepped forward first and slowly said, "The rebel Li Zicheng is powerful; I suggest we take the initiative and attack!"

Duke Zhu Chunchen immediately said, "Moving south will inevitably shake the morale of the army and destabilize the court! I believe that we should focus on holding our ground and wait for the enemy's morale to weaken before launching a decisive battle."

Chen Yan retorted, "No matter how many soldiers the rebels have, they are still just bandits. What is there to fear?"

The two began to argue, but Zhu Youjian had already fallen into deep thought.

Looking back at history, later generations have offered mixed reviews of their predecessor.

Some say that Emperor Chongzhen was a foolish and narrow-minded ruler who was suspicious by nature and personally destroyed the 270-year-old Ming Dynasty.

Some say that Emperor Chongzhen had lofty ambitions and was determined to be a restorer of the dynasty. For seventeen years, he worked tirelessly day and night for the country, and in terms of diligence, he was second only to the founding emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang.

Regardless, he became the ruler of a fallen kingdom.

In fact, there were many factors that contributed to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty.

During the Little Ice Age, natural disasters were frequent, resulting in reduced food production, and the people were already suffering greatly.

Land annexation intensified, with gentry seizing land on a large scale and concealing it. As a result, the court could not collect taxes and thus constantly imposed additional levies on the people. In the words of some, the people had no choice but to suffer.

These people were shouting in the main hall, "The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state."

Historically, even if a monarch dies for the country, he can simply change his identity and remain in the imperial court, continuing to make the people suffer and enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Zhu Youjian tried to adapt to his new identity, then looked at the two people who were arguing the most. Duke Cheng, Zhu Chun, was the head of the nobility, and Grand Secretary Chen Yan was the head of the civil officials.

Historically, neither of these two men seemed to be good people, but now there's no one else available in the court.

Chen Yan was speaking with great passion: "Although the rebels claim to number a million, they are all a rabble and not worth worrying about. I am willing to lead the troops into battle!"

Zhu Chunchen retorted, "However, the national treasury is empty and cannot support a large-scale military campaign."

Chen Yan, however, disagreed, saying, "Why not increase the military expenditure to replenish the national treasury?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Youjian was immediately enraged.

The people of the Ming Dynasty have been forced to rebel, and you still want to impose additional taxes?

If it weren't for the endless extra payments, who wouldn't want to live a peaceful life?

If one has no worries about food and clothing, who would be willing to risk their life to rebel?

I, a dignified successor of socialism, have traveled back to the Ming Dynasty, not to hang myself on a tree!

Given the current situation, neither holding Beijing nor launching a proactive attack is a good option. Moreover, the rebel army also has a force led by Liu Fangliang that is blocking the Central Plains.

Thinking of this, he cleared his throat and said, "I...I believe that Juyong Pass should be primarily used for defense, while a large army should be dispatched to Baoding to confront the southern forces of the rebel leader and recover the Central Plains. What do you all think?"

People began to discuss the matter, saying that Juyong Pass was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and that Li Zicheng would not be able to break through in a short time.

If we can defeat the rebel army in the south, we can open up the road to Nanjing and regain the initiative.

Chen Yan said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to lead the army into battle!"

Zhu Chunchen's lips moved a few times, but he didn't speak.

Zhu Youjian nodded and said, "Then it's settled. Issue my decree to appoint Grand Secretary Chen Yan to command the Beijing Garrison and lead an expedition to quell the rebellion!"

Chen Yan bowed deeply and said, "Your subject obeys the decree!"

The court assembly then concluded, and the civil and military officials dispersed.

Zhu Youjian returned to the Qianqing Palace, looked at the mountain of memorials, casually flipped through a few, and then threw them aside.

The Ming Dynasty had reached its end, and the memorials submitted were filled with reports of natural disasters and man-made calamities.

Shaanxi is suffering from drought, Huai'an is suffering from floods, and a group of bandits has emerged in Hongze Lake...

If the people can't survive, then rebellion is all they have left!

Li Zicheng's million-strong army were also ordinary people of the Ming Dynasty.

Coupled with the disloyalty of court officials and the corruption of the military garrisons, the Ming Dynasty was like a giant terminally ill, on the verge of collapse.

The imperial court is not without soldiers, but it lacks funds and provisions.

Soldiers are fed rations. If they can't even get enough to eat, how can they fight a war?

Therefore, the most urgent task is to make money!

Only with money and provisions could we mobilize troops from all over the country, fight Li Zicheng to the death, and have any hope of saving the Ming Dynasty.

Even if we lose in the end, it's just history repeating itself. But we must die on the battlefield, never hanging from a tree. That's the bottom line!

Returning to the present, the imperial court has been increasing its levies year after year, yet the national treasury is so poor it's practically starving.

However, according to later records, after Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he plundered tens of millions of taels of silver and countless grains from the homes of officials and nobles throughout the city!

Rather than letting Li Zicheng benefit from these funds and provisions, I'd rather collect them myself!

However, before that, we need a knife.

This knife must be sharp enough to kill any disobedient person, and it must be absolutely obedient to me!

Only the Emperor's personal guards, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, are capable of shouldering this heavy responsibility!

Having made up his mind, Zhu Youjian immediately ordered, "Someone come here!"

Wang Chengen stepped forward with small, quick steps: "This old servant is here!"

"Summon Luo Yangxing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, to the palace!"