A month later, when Lu Xuan saw Zhu Youjian again, he was in a royal villa. Beside him were mountains of gold, silver, jewels, antiques, and calligraphy and paintings. Real mountains...
"It seems I won that bet back then," Lu Xuan said with a smile.
“You win. I had someone estimate that the gold and silver alone amount to about seventy million taels. Including these jewels, paintings, and antiques, the wealth in this courtyard is close to one hundred and fifty million taels!” As he said this, Zhu Youjian’s tone was filled with an indescribable complexity.
How could there be so much money? The Ming Dynasty's treasury couldn't even produce two million taels. Yet, these nobles in the capital alone possessed 150 million taels? What does that mean? It would be more than enough to pay ten years' worth of military expenses in Liaodong. But why isn't this money in the Ming Dynasty's treasury, but in the hands of those treacherous bastards?
One hundred and fifty million taels, roughly in line with Lu Xuan's estimate. After all, historically, after Li Zicheng entered Beijing, he subjected people to severe torture and reportedly extracted a staggering eighty million taels. And that wasn't all; later, when the Manchus entered Beijing, they plundered roughly the same amount. This demonstrates just how deep the Ming Dynasty's coffers were.
Three hundred years of dynastic accumulation, by the end of the dynasty, had all fallen into the hands of these corrupt officials. No wonder Zhu Youjian (Emperor Zhu Youjian) now didn't know how to face this situation.
"His Majesty......"
"There's no need to humiliate me like this. You are His Majesty now. I am merely a remnant of the previous dynasty."
"Alright, Brother Zhu. You'd better listen carefully to what I'm about to say. I've made some arrangements regarding your Zhu family."
Lu Xuan had considered many arrangements for the Ming imperial family. First and foremost, he never intended to exterminate them quickly. After all, the Ming Dynasty, overall, had a commendable character. It was, at least in history, the only dynasty that did not engage in marriage alliances.
What Lu Xuan couldn't stand the most was that, regardless of whether it was an advantage or a disadvantage, his princess was always being married off to those foreign tribes. Has anyone ever considered what a pampered girl would experience if she were sent to the grasslands in a feudal dynasty?
No submission, no marriage alliances, no tribute; the emperor guards the nation's gates, the monarch dies for the state. Based on these ancestral precepts, Lu Xuan insisted on preserving the Zhu family bloodline. Moreover, Zhu Youjian ultimately committed suicide for his country. As a ruler of a fallen dynasty, he adhered to these ancestral precepts, and Lu Xuan felt he deserved some respect.
"I'll leave Wansui Mountain to you. With a few minor modifications, you can move in with your clan. Also, Guo Zhen's Imperial Horse Stable army will become a dedicated royal guard from now on."
The Ming Dynasty's imperial gardens were divided into six areas: the Imperial Garden, the Cining Palace Garden, Wansui Mountain, the West Garden, the East Garden, and the Rabbit Garden. Wansui Mountain was not originally intended for residential use. This garden was situated on the site of the former Yuan Dynasty palace. From a feng shui perspective, this was intended to suppress the Yuan Dynasty's fortune.
"Your Zhu family is the last royal bloodline of China. I will do my best to ensure your continuation. In this way, the civilization of China will never be interrupted. Your ancestors conquered this land, so consider it a legacy left by your forefathers."
"What about the other nobles?"
"You don't need to worry about those people. One symbol of China is enough."
Zhu Youjian fell silent. To be honest, this was the best possible outcome. He had originally thought that his entire Zhu family would be wiped out. But now it seemed that the other party not only intended to spare him, but also to ensure the continuation of his family line.
"You... if you spare my Zhu family, aren't you afraid that in the future, some loyal and righteous members of my Zhu family will do the same thing as you?"
"Hahahaha." Lu Xuan laughed out loud after hearing this.
"You know what, I'm really not afraid. Believe it or not, in my lifetime, I can make those so-called loyal and righteous people disappear completely. Don't look like that. I won't send people to hunt them down. I'll make them forget about it on their own."
Another silence fell. Lu Xuan finally sensed that Zhu Youjian's mood was somewhat off.
"Don't be too happy yet. Your royal family isn't here to play around all day. As the ancestral symbols of the Chinese royal family, you also need to shoulder certain responsibilities. In the future, when you go on diplomatic missions abroad and meet with foreign envoys, we will need you to step forward. At that time, you will be the face of this country."
Zhu Youjian's expression softened slightly. His greatest fear was that the Zhu family's descendants would be treated like pigs, dragged out and slaughtered at some point. Now it seemed that Lu Xuan genuinely wanted to spare their lives.
"Lu Xuan, I have a question for you. I hope you can answer it truthfully."
"Ask away, I'll try my best to answer."
"Now that you have ascended the throne, I have noticed that you have not yet established a name for your country. I wonder if you have any thoughts on this."
"Good question. I've been struggling with this for a long time. But just now, I had an idea. How about we call it Huaxia (China)?"
"China..." Zhu Youjian murmured to himself, momentarily lost in thought.
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Chapter 175 Making Money and Procuring Food (Third Update, Please Subscribe)
Zhu Youjian died; he committed suicide on the very night he met Lu Xuan. Lu Xuan was slightly moved upon hearing this, but not surprised. He had sensed it during their conversation that day. While Zhu Youjian's intelligence was average, he was very ambitious. Most importantly, he firmly believed he was the emperor of the Ming Dynasty and was determined to fulfill the ancestral precepts. In contrast, the emperors of the Song Dynasty…
Lu Xuan kept his promise, sending all the direct descendants of Zhu Youjian's imperial family to Wansui Mountain. However, those from collateral branches and the sons of nobles were not so fortunate. They were immediately reduced to commoners by Lu Xuan. Except for a small amount of family property, everything else was confiscated. They would have to fend for themselves from then on.
As for Zhu Youjian, he had one son. Perhaps this is why he faced death with equanimity. In the original history, he ultimately had three sons. However, history has changed drastically, and Zhu Youjian ultimately left behind only a one-year-old child.
Lu Xuan dismissed most of the palace maids and eunuchs. However, he retained a small number, keeping them at Wansui Mountain. After all, these men and women of the royal family might not know how to support themselves.
Having dealt with the problems of the Ming Dynasty's royal family, Lu Xuan began to focus his attention on the current predicament of the Ming Dynasty.
The problem facing China now is no longer external threats. Frankly speaking, Lu Xuan's 100,000 troops armed with modern firearms are more than enough to crush all the hostile forces surrounding China. If he wanted, he could easily sweep aside any insurmountable force, such as the Oirats or the Doyan Khanate. What truly troubles him is the internal strife.
Over the years, China has suffered terribly at the hands of those "intellectuals." It's not just a matter of the Little Ice Age. Land annexation and the widening gap between rich and poor—these human-caused problems—even surpass natural disasters, becoming the true obstacles to China's rise.
North Korea and Japan have begun sending grain back in steady streams. This reportedly caused some unrest, but it was all brutally suppressed. Lu Xuan didn't concern himself with these minor details. He only knew that there was still not enough food. Really not enough.
There are simply too many refugees and disaster victims. No amount of food can possibly help. The crucial issue is that many refugees have turned into bandits, tasting the sweetness of acting with impunity.
This is also why peasant uprisings throughout history have rarely succeeded in gaining significant traction. They lacked sufficient intellectual foundation. Even those among them who possessed considerable military talent were unable to establish a true dynasty.
The poor who couldn't even afford food suddenly found themselves with wealth and food at their fingertips. Those ladies who were once high above them, whom they dared not even look up to, were now at their mercy. In just one night, they would be utterly corrupted.
Even if you bring them food at this point and tell them to hold on through the winter and they can resume farming and have enough to eat next year, they still won't want to go back to the way things were before. That kind of unbridled release of desire is addictive.
Therefore, Lu Xuan instructed the various pacification armies that no appeasement measures should be taken until more than 70% of the rebels had been killed. If there were any signs of resistance, they should be completely eliminated.
Dealing with unruly tribes has always been a major challenge. In the imperial court, if you advocate for force, someone will speak of appeasement; if you advocate appeasement, someone will speak of force. No matter what you do, no one feels comfortable. The best approach is prevention. But if prevention fails and an unrest occurs, it must be completely quelled.
As the ruler, Lu Xuan understood one thing very well: the power of incitement was terrifying. If one group of rebels escaped punishment and was instead recruited, it would send a signal to other areas that not only could rebels not lose their heads, but they could also be recruited. A single spark could ignite a prairie fire. Therefore, in times of chaos, harsh measures were necessary.
The only good news was that Lu Xuan, the new emperor, had ascended the throne, and most of the court officials were his trusted confidants and newly appointed officials. They hadn't yet formed factions and dared not speculate on Lu Xuan's intentions. They could only act according to his orders. This is probably why founding emperors throughout history have always been able to accomplish things exceptionally smoothly.
Riding the wave of a newly established dynasty, no one dared to disobey. However, this phenomenon usually only lasted for one or two generations. Regardless of the dynasty, as time went on, the emperor would become more and more of a figurehead. The key issue was that those below, who suppressed imperial power, often didn't truly want to govern the country; they were merely seeking personal gain. Thus, the nation perished.
Relying solely on food supplies from Japan and Korea is far from sufficient. The grassland tribes to the north don't even have enough food for themselves. Fighting them wouldn't be of much use. The truly reliable option is Zhao Jingzhong's trip to Southeast Asia. The geographical environment and climate of South Asia are truly exceptional. Those yellow-skinned monkeys on the Indonesian archipelago don't even need to cultivate the land; they can eat their fill just from the rain-fed fruit trees.
Lu Xuan had long coveted this place. Once he had the time, he would definitely turn it into China's granary. Then, there would be no more famine in the Central Plains.