On the tenth day of May in the nineteenth year of Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, the Yuhu Palace.

In addition to Wu Sanfu, Li Yan, Wu Guoyong, Yan Yingyuan and others who led the troops, the leading figures of the Ming Dynasty in Huguang, including Qiu Yu, Fang Yuegong, He Tengjiao, Chang Yanling, Liu Kongzhao, Du Yinxi, Qin Liangyu, and the former Nanjing Guozi Priest Jiu Wen'anzhi, who ran out of Yiling Prefecture occupied by the Dashun army, all gathered together to offer advice.

"His Royal Highness the Prince," the old grandmother Qin Liangyu looked worried, and said first, "The old man has an urgent report from Shizhu's family, the army of the rogues has gathered in Badong, and the rogues in Qutangwei, Fengjie County, Wushan County, and Yunyang County have posted notices in all directions, singing songs to welcome the king and divide the fields, which has made people panic, and the regimental training has no fighting spirit, but I am afraid that I will not be able to withstand the attack of the rogues!" Moreover, the armies in central Sichuan have suffered for the past two years, fighting and dying with the Liukou, suffering heavy casualties, and they can't get the military salary of the imperial court, and they don't have reinforcements......"

The old grandmother didn't come all the way to see Prince Zhu for the false name of a national prince, she came to Huguang to ask for money, weapons and reinforcements for the Sichuan landlords.

Earlier, when Zhu Cihong sent Ma Shiying to Hunan and Guizhou into Sichuan, he once gave him a large amount of military salary. But since then, no money or goods have been sent to Sichuan. Moreover, the military salary he gave Ma Shiying was not enough to support the expenses of the Ming army from all walks of life in Sichuan.

The situation in Sichuan is very strange, before Zhang Xianzhong entered Chengdu, the Ming army in Sichuan was weak, and most of the landlords and old wealth in Sichuan were standing by, but Qin Liangyu actively resisted, but he was also weak and could not beat Zhang Xianzhong. After Zhang Xianzhong entered Chengdu victoriously and began to be his Sichuan Ming lord, the weak Ming army also rose up, and the landlords who stood by also jumped out to pull the pole, and even the Ming army (guard soldiers) of Guizhou and Huguang (Shizhou Wei) also rushed to join in the fun.

As a result, Zhang Xianzhong's head was broken and his face was swept away, and now he is a little annoyed and angry!

In the two years of besieging Zhang Xianzhong, all kinds of landlord armies with the banner of Daming have also grown, not to mention that the soldiers are strong and strong, but there are always many people. There are no less than a million soldiers and horses from all walks of life! Even if the water is squeezed dry, there are one or two hundred thousand - how could someone beat Zhang Xianzhong like this without this? Li Dingguo, Sun Kewang, and Liu Wenxiu are all under Zhang Xianzhong!

So many people fight for the old Zhu family, and they fight so hard, how can this account be calculated? According to the salary of 20 taels of silver a year for a person, plus a reward of 10 taels of silver, and 10 taels of armor, how can the expenses of 200,000 people for two years be 16 million taels? Even if you get another discount, you have to give 10 million taels, right?

So Mrs. Qin is not only here to help, but also to ask for accounts!

Wen Anzhi, who is in his fifties this year, has long hair and chest, and has a white face full of righteousness, took over the topic and said: "The gentry fields of Yiling Prefecture, Badong County and Guizhou have also been divided...... Calculate the oral field, free of debt and interest! Therefore, the ignorant people were incited against the scholars, and the house of poetry and books was either ruined or fled!

And Kuizhou is close to Badong, but I am afraid that the ignorant people there already know about Padang, and people's hearts are about to be in chaos! ”

Hearing this, Zhu Cihong's brows tightened slightly, what an ignorant little people, are you slandering the working people...... The working people are too knowledgeable! Divide the land and divide the land, pay off debts and interest, no matter how much trouble, you won't suffer!

Zhu Cihong glanced at He Tengjiao again, and He Tengjiao said: "Your Royal Highness the Prince, Sichuan has been in chaos for several years, and the gentry and people in Sichuan are miserable. Now that the king has settled on Huguang, if he does not wave his army into Sichuan in time, he is afraid that the Sichuan people will be disappointed and the people will not be there! ”

Qiu Yu also said: "Yes, yes, the country of abundance in Sichuan, if it is seized by thieves, I am afraid that it will become big again!" Wang Shi should enter the Sichuan Ping thief as soon as possible! ”

Fang Yuegong also supported Sichuan, he said: "Now that the official army in Sichuan has gained some upper hand, if two divisions of the new army can enter Sichuan, the overall situation can be decided in one fell swoop." Liukouping, Sichuan An, are you still afraid that you won't be able to recover the Central Plains? ”

The meaning of these three head snakes in Huguang and the land of Prince Zhu understands - hurry up and enter Sichuan to toss the Sichuan people! Huguang here, it would be nice to restore the original state!

Zhu Cihong turned his attention to Chang Yanling and Liu Kongzhao again.

Chang Yanling said: "His Royal Highness the Prince, the minister is willing to raise a brigade of soldiers and go to Sichuan with the new army, so that the Liukou will not be destroyed and will not return to the east!" ”

Zhu Cihong said: Go to Sichuan to extinguish the Liukou? You are the head snake of Hunan, right? Think about it, you, the noble marquis, are an honest man, how can you beat the Hunan scholars?

Liu Kongzhao was the only one with a frown on his face, and he didn't say a word from the beginning to the present, even if Zhu Cihong looked at him, he didn't say a word.

Zhu Cihong smiled faintly: "What you say is all sincere and loyal words for the country...... However, the palace also needs to listen to the opinions of the generals. Wait for the palace to return to Wuchang, and then discuss with you. Sincerity, you stay, this palace wants to talk to you about returning to Wuchang. The rest of the princes, go down and rest first. ”

"Wait for the resignation!"

Those who should leave got up and saluted, and then exited the palace hall, leaving only Liu Kongzhao who did not leave.

Zhu Cihong looked at him: "Uncle Sincerity, don't you approve of going west immediately?" ”

Liu Kongzhao smiled bitterly: "Going west to Sichuan and suppressing the Liukou are all righteousness. But how much grain does Chitose still have in his hands? The minister knew that Sichuan had been in turmoil for many years, and the young and strong were conscripted, the fields were barren, and the powerful were divided...... Moreover, Sichuan has never been a big province of money and grain, even if it is peaceful and prosperous, it will only pay 1.08 million stone white rice in the field! Please think twice, His Royal Highness the Prince! ”

Zhu Cihong was silent.

One puzzle after another!

Irikawa is righteousness! The country of abundance is the hope of all the people, how can it not go?

But after I went, it was a bottomless pit!

Sichuan's regimental training is not as good as Huguang and Nanzhi, but it is similar to Shandong, and it has grown enough to defeat Zhang Xianzhong.

Therefore, it is impossible for Zhu Cihong to receive any money and grain from Sichuan for many years to come, and he will not even give 1.08 million stones. Not only will he not give it, but he also wants Zhu Cihong to throw money into it!

So can the bandits who have worked hard in the regimental training be rewarded heavily?

There are so many remnants of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, it is simply unrealistic to eliminate them all. If you want to be appeased, you have to throw a lot of money into it.

Placed in the ...... of the Imperial Captives Can you do it or not, can those cowards make you call for nothing? And you can't help but equip them with supplies and let them lack food and weapons to fight with the Dongyu!

Liu Kongzhao said: "His Royal Highness the Prince, the key to Sichuan's suppression lies in how much the imperial court can come up with?" In the past, the imperial court has been coquetted many times, but it is always difficult to succeed, and the problem is that the court has no money and food! ”

Zhu Cihong sighed, "It is necessary to enter the river, and it is also necessary to fukou!" He looked at Liu Kongzhao, "Uncle Chengyi, if you can tell this to this palace, it means that you are your own person in this palace...... You can add the word "Victory" in front of your earl. ”

"Thank you, His Royal Highness the Prince......"

Zhu Cihong waved his hand, "But there are some things that you have to do!" Even if it doesn't work, you can't let Liukou be too comfortable in Sichuan! ”

"But .......," Liu Kongzhao stopped when he wanted to speak.

"What are you going to say?"

Liu Kongzhao lowered his voice, "His Royal Highness the Prince, the southeast people are about to change!" ”

"Civil unrest?" Zhu Cihong was stunned for a moment, "Did you hear any rumors?" ”

Liu Kongzhao shook his head: "The minister is the Jiangdu who stayed behind, guarded in Wuchang, and was in charge of the Jiangshui division before, and he knows best how many grain ships have gone down since last autumn." Moreover, the minister also knows how many Huguangmi boats have gone down in the past years!

The southeast is running out of food! There's nothing to eat! The minister still has relatives in Nanjing, and a few days ago he wrote a letter to borrow money from the minister, saying that the price of rice in Nanjing has now risen to four dollars of silver......

That's right!

The southeast is running out of food!

Zhu Cihong knew that Liu Kongzhao had been the commander of the river for many years, and he knew too well the water transportation situation on the Yangtze River.

In the past, how many Huguang rice were transported to Jiangnan every year, can he, the admiral of the water division, know? Don't know how to take bribes?

Moreover, Chengyi Bo is also a big family, and there are many relatives in Nanjing, who used to eat in the Southeast Health Institute, but now most of them have lost their industries and have to eat old rice at home, so they are extremely sensitive to the rise and fall of rice prices.

"This matter is indeed troublesome," Zhu Cihong frowned, "Uncle Chengyi, you go back to Wuchang immediately and see if you can find a group of rice merchants who are willing to go deep into Hubei and send troops to escort them to collect rice." ”

Now most of the territory of Jingzhou, Chengtian, De'an, and Hanyang in Hubei is occupied by the Ming army. However, the influence of the rogues was still very great, and the antagonism between the peasants and the government and the gentry and merchants was serious. Moreover, the original rural trade routes no longer exist, and going to the countryside to harvest rice has become a business that may cost lives. And selling rice is not a high-profit business, which is not enough for rice merchants to sacrifice their lives to fight. Therefore, there are many businessmen gathered in Wuchang now, but few dare to go to the countryside to harvest rice.

"Let's go!" Liu Kongzhao stood up and said, "But Master Chitose should think of something else...... Otherwise, the price of rice in the southeast will still rise. Although the southeast is rich, there are also many poor people! If you don't have anything to eat, sooner or later you'll get into chaos! ”