Ming Dynasty: Moral blackmail? I, Emperor Chongzhen, have no morals!

Chapter 100 The core issue of the silver shortage is purchasing power.

Zhu Jian, of course, wouldn't supervise the process. This was military rations for elite cavalry raids, so cost and ease of production needed to be considered. Therefore, after giving instructions, he returned to the Wuying Hall...

After it's finished and deemed acceptable, the cost and the amount needed per soldier still need to be calculated before it can be used in the military.

Zhu Jian felt that the campaigns against the Mongols during the Yongle era were indeed very successful, but the logistical pressure was too great and could not be sustained now. After the defeat at Sarhu, this tactic of ensuring logistical support was no longer viable.

Now, the only option is to find ways to increase opportunities to attack the Jurchens by transporting grain, abandoning logistics, attacking and running away, completely avoiding direct confrontation and decisive battles, only attacking and destroying camps and farms to deplete the Jurchens' logistical strength... Didn't Nurhaci have a famous saying? "No matter how many routes you come from, I will only go one way." Well, Zhu Jian will give them a taste of that—"No matter how many routes you come from, I will only take a detour." After Zhu Jian returned to the Wuying Hall, he picked up the dragon-patterned jade pendant he had once worn from the table and handed it to Wang Chengen: "This is a reward for you."

Wang Chengen was startled upon hearing this. Wasn't this the one the emperor often wore? He hurriedly knelt down, saying, "This servant dares not."

"What? You want me to put it on you?"

"This servant wouldn't dare."

"Keep it..." Zhu Jian stuffed the jade pendant into Wang Chengen's hand.

"This servant thanks Your Majesty."

Just then, Hu Dawei and Zhou Yuji followed Sun Chuanting, Lu Xiangshan, and Li Banghua into the Wuying Hall. These men were all military and political ministers, the highest military and political advisors of the Ming Dynasty. However, the Military and Political Bureau did not have the power to rescind imperial edicts from the cabinet. Although the cabinet had now rescinded the power and it had become a mere formality, the system still existed.

Upon seeing the group arrive, Zhu Jian waved lightly to Wang Chengen and said, "Go and rest."

"This servant takes her leave." Wang Chengen bowed, clutching the dragon-patterned jade pendant tightly, and took two steps back, afraid of bumping or knocking it over.

"Your humble servant bows to Your Majesty." The crowd bowed in unison.

"Please take your seats, everyone." Zhu Jian said, and then sat down in the main seat. This was not a court assembly. Whether a subject stood or sat depended entirely on the emperor's favor. If he didn't like you, you could stand until the end. If he valued you more, you could get a seat in front of the emperor. So the subjects of the Ming Dynasty were not only stubborn in words, but also in deeds.

Of the five who came, only Zhou Yuji and Hu Dawei were pure military officers who did not concern themselves with court affairs, while the other three all had something to do.

Seeing that everyone was being informal and had plopped down on the official chairs next to him, Zhu Jian said, "I had the imperial kitchen prepare some food. You can try it later."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," the crowd said in unison.

The problem now isn't about what to eat, but rather that the entire Ming Dynasty has fallen into an eerie calm, a calm that's somewhat frightening.

Sun Chuanting spoke first: "Your Majesty, I believe that Gao Qiqian's actions in Shanxi were somewhat inappropriate."

Gao Qiqian went on a killing spree in Shanxi, acting like the King of Hell. If the King of Hell wanted someone to die at midnight, Gao Qiqian would send them over at midnight. He was incredibly dedicated. This practice eventually reached the capital, though it hadn't yet gained widespread attention.

Zhu Jian remained silent, instead looking at Lu Xiangshan and Li Banghua. Li Banghua squinted, as if he hadn't heard anything. He had already spoken to the emperor about this matter, but the emperor insisted on keeping Gao Qiqian in Shanxi, and there was nothing he could do about it.

At this moment, Lu Xiang-sheng met Zhu Jian's gaze and said, "I believe we can issue an imperial edict to Gao Qi-qian, instructing him to focus on driving away and controlling the situation."

The unspoken meaning behind this statement is to kill fewer people, especially ordinary citizens. Although more than half of those infected with the plague have a chance of dying, the thought of having one's life prematurely ended always leaves one feeling somewhat guilty.

"Now there is a bowl of food. If we give it to the people infected with the plague, there is a 50% chance they will survive, and a 50% chance they will die from the plague after eating it. If we give it to the people in the disaster-stricken areas, they will definitely survive. If we don't give them food, they will definitely starve to death. What do you all choose?"

Chongzhen's strategy was an open one; since one of them was going to die anyway, it was up to them to decide what to do.

"The imperial treasury still has funds. I think it would be better to spend two million taels to buy some grain, which would be more beneficial than being harsh. It would also give the people a glimmer of hope," Sun Chuanting said.

Sun Chuanting knew this principle, but he couldn't get past his conscience, after all, those people in Shanxi were all unarmed ordinary people.

"Zhang Bingwen, the governor of Shanxi, has already collected some grain and put it all into the disaster area. Some of these people had eaten something before they died."

The news was relayed by Wu Daozheng, the director of the Eastern Depot. Wu Daozheng originally intended to seize all the grain and transport it to the capital, but Zhang Bingwen reacted too strongly and refused to comply. The next day, he led his yamen runners to dump all the grain in several of the worst-hit areas of the plague.

Wu Daozheng did not dare to push the Shanxi governor Zhang Bingwen too hard. If he forced an innocent governor to his death in Shanxi, a second-rank official, the impeachments in the court would be as numerous as snowflakes. So he backed down.

If he were like the former governor, without a fixed office or rank, his death wouldn't be a big problem. But now he's a fixed local official, the highest administrative official of a province, in charge of the three departments. If he were forced to his death, not only would he be in trouble, but his godfather, the Grand Eunuch Wang Dehua of the Directorate of Ceremonial, would also be in trouble. When the emperor decides to make an example of someone, he would be the one to be punished.

"Sigh, it's better to die than to suffer," Li Banghua, who had been squinting and silent all along, suddenly said.

Li Banghua felt that throwing in two million was pointless, as it served no purpose. He thought it would be better not to throw it at all. He also heard from Zhu Jian that the governor of Shanxi had managed to raise some grain so that some of these people could have a bite to eat before they died, which eased his mind somewhat. After all, there were still some people who had nothing to eat and were starving to death. Natural disasters and man-made calamities are something that has never been solved before, and this was a last resort.

Sun Chuanting frowned slightly and sighed, saying nothing more. It was unclear what he was saying. He knew that the imperial treasury could be more than enough for disaster relief, but that would only exacerbate the war and cause more deaths. He suddenly realized that the factional struggles in the court were not without reason. In this situation, no matter how much they fought, there would be no result. Now he suddenly understood the difficulties of the court.

"More gold and silver isn't necessarily better," Zhu Jian said casually.

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Prosecutor Zhu. Who doesn't want more money? Without money, you can't do anything, you can't even survive. But Prosecutor Zhu was saying that more isn't necessarily better. What did he mean by that?

Zhu Jian smiled and said, "Currently, in the Ming Dynasty, one shi of grain costs ten taels of silver. That is, ten taels of silver equal one shi of grain. If there were ten more taels of silver, the silver would become twenty taels, but the grain would still only be one shi. In that case, one shi of grain would be equivalent to twenty taels of silver. Would such silver still have any value?"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone suddenly realized that what the emperor said was indeed true. In the past, they always lamented that they didn't have enough money, but now it was no longer a question of whether they had enough or not.

These people did not have a comprehensive understanding of the economic structure and supply and demand relationship, which is why they suddenly woke up. Otherwise, Zhang Juzheng would not have insisted on promoting the silver conversion method. This may seem to have increased the national treasury revenue, but it also sowed the seeds of disaster.

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