Cheng Hao listened with great interest. As a senior otaku, he liked to listen to stories, especially the story of people like Chong Zhen who had too many regrets. He was even more interested in it.
"When I inherited the throne, it was a dangerous time. At that time, the traitor Wei Zhongxian had power over the court, and his minions were all over the court. The court called these people the 'eunuch's party'.
"Before my brother died, he specifically told me to put Wei Zhongxian in an important position. As long as the eunuch's party did not fall, the Donglin Gang and the others would not be able to overturn the heavens. The Great Ming Dynasty, a ship full of holes, could continue to be maintained.
"In fact, when I was young, I naively believed that the Emperor had great power and was omnipotent. If he wanted to get rid of someone, it would be as easy as pinching an ant to death.
I was only seventeen years old at that time. Although I grew up in the palace and knew a lot of tactics, I had never really been an Emperor. I took it for granted that the Emperor had the ability to weigh the pros and cons.
"I also thought about following my brother's instructions and did not want to kill Wei Zhongxian directly. But later, I realized that I was wrong. The Emperor's position was not as simple as I thought. At that time, Wei Zhongxian was no longer the submissive dog he was when my brother was alive. He had long become a vicious wolf.
"I can allow a hungry wolf to look for food outside, but Wei Zhongxian is a hungry wolf. Whether it is in the palace or outside of the court, he has already spread his claws and teeth. Perhaps even I could have become his prey. For the him at that time, it was actually not difficult to secretly control a different emperor!"
"In order to protect myself, I could only reach an agreement with the Donglin Gang and the others to eliminate the eunuch's party! The process of eliminating the traitor was very difficult. It was like playing chess. One misstep and the whole game would be lost. It could even threaten my life. "
Hearing this, Cheng Hao interrupted Chong Zhen's words and asked with interest, "After killing Wei Zhongxian, have you ever regretted it?"
"The world said that as long as Wei Zhongxian did not die, the Ming Dynasty would not be destroyed. I basically understood this principle later, but even if I understood it, I had no choice. As long as Wei Zhongxian did not die, my imperial power could not be guaranteed. His existence was like a fishbone in my throat. I could not be happy until I got rid of him! I have never regretted killing him! "
"The only thing I regret is that I was too hasty in killing him. I didn't take care of the subsequent matters properly. I wasn't able to effectively restrict the Eastwood Gang. Most importantly, I wasn't able to get my hands on the wealth that Wei Zhongxian plundered over the years!"
Speaking of money, the remorse on Chong Zhen's face intensified.
"In fact, although the Great Ming Dynasty is in a precarious situation, it is not hopeless. The only thing it lacked at that time was money!"
"If I can take Wei Zhongxian's money into the palace treasury and have enough wealth to support me, then I won't have to beg officials in court for donations just for a few hundred thousand liang of silver!"
"Without money, I can't build a strong army!"
"Without money, I won't be able to provide timely relief during natural and man-made disasters!"
"Without money, I don't have the slightest bit of confidence to completely tear apart the Eastwood Gang!"
"In fact, the people of the Great Ming Dynasty are simple and easy to manage. As long as they can be given something to eat, as long as they don't starve to death, as long as there is even the slightest hope of survival, they won't rebel."
"What I lack is just some money. Some money that can ensure that the people can survive at a critical moment and not starve to death or rebel. Even if it's just a million liang of silver, it can allow me to continue supporting the entire Great Ming Dynasty!"
"Only with money, a strong army, and time can I have the opportunity to reorganize the government, reorganize the annexation of land, and reorganize the landlords and squires who have been eating to their hearts' content under the protection of the Eastwood Gang."
Cheng Hao quietly listened to Chong Zhen's complaints about money. In fact, this fallen monarch of the Ming Dynasty was indeed somewhat miserable. During his seventeen years on the throne, he had always been depressed. For the sake of money, he had no choice but to think of solutions everywhere.
In fact, the end of the Ming Dynasty was also an era of great generals.
Sun Chengzong's wisdom, Yuan Chonghuan's persistence, Cao Wenzhao's strength, Zuo Liangyu's bravery, Lu Xiangsheng's firmness, Sun Chuanting's strategy, and Yang Sichang's soldiers who died for their friends built the last solid wall of the Ming Dynasty.
However, Chong Zhen, who lived in the depths of the palace all year round and had never stepped out of the Forbidden City, had an extremely serious personality flaw.
He was paranoid, extremely paranoid!
When Huang Taiji's army arrived at the gates of Beijing, he could take off his coat and personally put it on Yuan Chonghuan, just in hopes that Yuan Chonghuan would work harder. However, not long after, he issued an edict to execute Yuan Chonghuan.
When the peasant rebels burned the Ming Emperor's mausoleum in Fengyang, he resolutely issued an edict of self-reproach to reflect on his mistakes and take the blame for the officials. He just hoped that they would work harder.
However, his paranoid personality made it so that not long after, he would execute some civil officials to vent his anger.
He was very thrifty and even patched his clothes.
He worked very hard. During the day, he went to the imperial court and worked overtime at night. He had to work fourteen to fourteen hours a day.
He was very determined. Even though he knew his ending, he still did his best and worked hard without any complaints. Until the end, he did not give up. In seventeen years, he issued an edict of self-reproach six times to reflect on his mistakes.
However, it was still useless. He worked very hard and wanted to be a wise emperor. However, his wisdom was limited and he was paranoid. A moment ago, he was still praising the civil and military officials, but the next moment, he could be demoted because of his paranoia.
The flaw in his personality caused him to lack loyal officials to follow him. The financial difficulties of the imperial court caused him to be unable to control the world. His edicts could not even leave the Forbidden City.
During the Little Ice Age, the annexation of land was serious, and the imperial court was seriously unable to make ends meet. Peasant uprisings continued everywhere, and the Donglin faction was content to enjoy themselves and busy themselves with internal strife. Inside and outside the imperial court, it was a complete mess that could not be repaired.
"'You, the Ming Dynasty, are at the end of your days! 'In the sixteenth year of my reign, before Li Zicheng gathered all the military forces in Xi' an and prepared to set out to the Capital, he issued these eight words in a declaration of war. My God, you, Senior, are the high and mighty Laoye Ye. Can you tell me, is our Great Ming's fall really coming to an end and cannot be changed? '
Although Chong Zhen had become the emperor of a fallen country, he was still very unwilling to accept the demise of the Ming Dynasty. He was deeply reluctant to part with the Ming Dynasty.
"Fate?" Cheng Hao smiled. "I won't talk about whether the Ming Dynasty's fate is at the end of its days. However, since you were able to meet me, it means that your fate is not at the end of its days!"
"After experiencing the life of an emperor, I'm sure you are qualified to be an emperor in terms of strategy and judgment."
Cheng Hao stood up and looked at Chong Zhen condescendingly. His expression gradually became serious.
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