Oh, wait, there are quite a few Jinyi Guards who followed His Majesty out of Xialiang. Those Jinyi Guards are all very young, each of them is eager to establish great achievements. What if they take the initiative to come and make requests?
It seemed he would have to find a way to have someone go and warn Jiang Quan.
Zhu Ci pondered for a long while before saying, "If all else fails, then we shall conscript soldiers."
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: The Jinyi Guard is here to protect me, so they can't be sent out. In that case, why don't I just take the Jinyi Guard with me? Then there's no problem, right? A little kitty carrying a knife walks to the palace gates before being picked up and carried back. jpg
Next update tomorrow morning at six o'clock~
Chapter 214
It had been a long time since Zhu Ci's Accession, this was the first time he had clearly expressed his intention to conscript soldiers.
Previously, when replenishing his troops, he had always selected from the government slaves, promising that they could restore their status as commoners as long as they performed meritorious service.
Actually, this was the first step in Zhu Ci's crackdown on human trafficking.
Criminals should be sentenced according to the law, without involving their families and turning them into slaves for every minor offense.
In fact, within the current Great Ming Code, the clauses regarding officials being demoted to slavery upon committing crimes have already been gradually being removed.
Zhu Ci did not dare to make a sweeping change, mainly because many families among the civil and military officials in the imperial court still had numerous servants who had signed indentured servitude contracts.
Setting aside everything else, is that entire family of the Grand Secretary really all his family?
His family has all been exiled by him.
He didn't need to consider others, but he had to consider the impact on Fu, so he could only take it slowly.
In order to prevent his subordinates from being too resistant, the requirements for government slaves seeking to restore their civilian status were also very harsh; they required at least twice the merit needed by ordinary soldiers.
On top of that, he stated that this would allow more able-bodied men to remain and farm, which finally silenced the voices of opposition.
However, it was obvious that he showed mercy to the common people, but the Qing Army would not care about that. Some of the Ming generals who had surrendered previously had done so along with their troops; besides that, they forcibly conscripted soldiers, as they did not care about the survival of the Han people anyway.
Therefore, Dorgon was very willing to trade lives.
This was also why Zhu Ci did not call for a personal expedition; currently, in order to preserve its own strength, the Qing Court was using nothing but Han people to charge ahead and act as cannon fodder.
Even though he knew the opposition was the enemy army, those commoners had no choice in the matter. He felt compassion for these people; going onto the battlefield would truly be a bad thing.
Li Zicheng was quite simple; he was a killer, his way of distinguishing friend from foe was very straightforward, so he didn't overthink things.
Zhu Ci looked at his memorial and thought it was feasible to conscript troops.
Fu Weiwei breathed a sigh of relief; as long as His Majesty did not intend to send the Jinyi Guard out, everything would be fine.
Conscription sounds simple enough, but how to carry it out is another matter entirely.
First of all, the good citizens around the capital cannot be touched. Secondly.. there isn't much else. The Great Ming's territory is currently so small, there aren't many places where troops can be conscripted, not to mention the fact that the population is sparse due to the previous massacres by the Qing Army.
Zhu Ci looked at the map, his eyes fixed on the section for Sichuan.
Sichuan produces fierce soldiers; he remembered that the people from this place truly fought without regard for their lives, the quality of their recruits was incredibly high.
However, this place is still Zhang Xianzhong's territory for now.
Fu saw that the Little Emperor had not spoken for a long time, so he followed his gaze and asked understandingly, "Does His Majesty want Sichuan?"
Zhu Ci reluctantly shifted his gaze away from Sichuan and said, "Forget it, now is not the time."
The geographical location of Sichuan is too unique, its terrain and landscape are also very special. Fighting in Sichuan might be even harder than fighting the Tartars; even if one possessed divine weapons and sharp tools, it would be useless if the enemy simply retreated into the mountains.
Even if they don't retreat into the mountains, it would still be very difficult to fight them as long as they hold the high ground.
Even if there are divine weapons and sharp tools, so what? You can't exactly blow up the mountain, can you?
Fu pondered for a long while before saying, "It might not be the wrong time; Zhang Xianzhong is not stable in Sichuan."
Zhu Ci turned his head to look at him: "You've even been collecting intelligence on him?"
Fu Qingsheng smiled and said, "It's not that I collect them intentionally, but my merchant caravans travel far and wide, so their information is quite reliable. While I can't get top-secret intelligence, I can still glean a thing or two from various scattered bits of news."
Zhu Ci remarked casually, "The people under you are quite useful."
Fu spoke casually, but this involved the collection, organization, analysis of intelligence; among these, collecting intelligence was actually the simplest part, while organizing and analyzing the authenticity of the information was what truly mattered.
After he finished speaking, he felt he shouldn't have said that; what if Fu grew worried that he was suspicious of him?
Under normal circumstances, having a powerful intelligence network under one's command would indeed make the Emperor wary.
However, Zhu Ci's situation was a bit different; while other emperors feared their subjects would vie for power, he was practically desperate to find someone to help him become the Emperor.
This wretched position truly forces him to be diligent and conscientious every single day; in the past, he could have done whatever he wanted just by making a sudden decision.
Now, things are quite different; every day he must reflect upon himself: Is this possible? Will the impact be significant? How should it be done?
It is no exaggeration to say that, right now, a single casual word from him could affect the livelihoods of tens of thousands of people.
Being an emperor is truly too difficult!
It would be quite good if Fu Zhen were willing to become the Emperor.
It's just that the subordinates might not agree.
While Zhu Ci was thinking about how to appease Fu, he heard his Grand Secretary say nonchalantly, "If Your Majesty feels they are useful, just send someone to take over."
“That won't be necessary,” Zhu Ci said, shaking his head. “It's perfectly fine where it is with you, but if my subordinates find out it's in my hands, I'm afraid it will cause widespread panic.”
An intelligence system can collect both external and internal intelligence. Back in the day, wasn't that exactly what the Eastern Depot did? Just think of the psychological trauma that caused so many officials.
If Zhu Ci truly had such an intelligence team in his hands, the imperial court would likely become gripped by constant paranoia.
The one Fu has now is quite good; it only needs an intelligence system focused on external affairs.
Fu knew what the Little Emperor was worried about. After deliberating for a long while, Fu said, "Your Majesty, what I have at my disposal can only focus on other powers. As for the entirety of Great Ming.. I fear it might be inconvenient."
Zhu Ci understood his meaning instantly. He thought for a moment and said, "If you want to catch spies, that is the matter for the Censorate. I will have the Censorate set up a specialized inspection team to handle this matter in the future."
An intelligence system could exist, but it must serve the state, not work for him personally.
Moreover, Fu is here; if anyone truly meant him harm, Fu would warn him.
Zhu Ci had an inexplicable confidence in this.
Fu saw that the Emperor had his own plans and said no more, turning the topic to Zhang Xianzhong. "Currently, there are many people within Sichuan who are resisting Zhang Xianzhong. Many of them are loyal to the Great Ming, but they have been unable to send messages, which is why they have lost contact with the Great Ming."
Zhu Ci was somewhat surprised. "What? Loyal to the Great Ming? Is that for real?"
The Great Ming in those people's hearts must still be the Great Ming of the Chongzhen Era, or perhaps the Hongguang Era.
Regardless of the era, there is no need to feel any attachment to it, unless these people are masochists or find Zhang Xianzhong's rule better than the Chongzhen Era.
Fu seemed to know what he was thinking and said, "They have long since been captivated by Your Majesty's brilliance."
Wake up, they do not wish to submit to the former Great Ming or to Zhu Yousong, but to you, Your Majesty.
Zhu Ci was even more surprised. He was about to ask how, given the current level of information isolation and the terrain of Sichuan, they could possibly know what was happening here.
But before the words could leave his mouth, he realized that it was highly likely that Grand Secretary Fu had played a part in it.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: I haven't even made a move yet, you've already started a propaganda war? A kitty shakes its fur and sits up straight. jpg
Next update at twelve noon~
Haven't seen any nutritional solution for a long time, I'll post an extra update tonight~
Chapter 215
After tasting it, Zhu Ci said, "You made this move a bit early."
Fu Qingsheng said, "I believe this is only a matter of time."
Based on his understanding of Zhu Ci, he certainly would not give up Sichuan.
Setting aside everything else, this man won't even let go of the Mongol regions that aren't even within the borders of Great Ming; how could he possibly allow Zhang Xianzhong to occupy Sichuan?
Back when he was in a stalemate with the Qing Army, Fu felt that perhaps one day he would strike at Zhang Xianzhong first.
After all, a portion of the Great Ming's military strength was actually being used to guard the Sichuan region.
If all the troops from that area were truly redeployed, it would likely result in being attacked from both front and rear.
Therefore, if the intensity of the battle with the Qing Army is not high, they could completely take over Sichuan first.
It was just that Fu had not spoken of it before, intending to wait until the situation over there had been assessed.
The timing cannot be said to be particularly ideal, but it is not bad either.
Hearing that Zhang Xianzhong's regime was unstable, Zhu Ci rubbed his chin and said, "In that case, it might be a good idea to support the local rebels first and let them exhaust themselves internally."
Regarding those rebels' so-called loyalty to the Great Ming, he always felt it was somewhat unreliable.
Perhaps they only felt they were no match for Zhang Xianzhong, so they wanted to find a powerful faction to surrender to; if given the chance, they would undoubtedly rebel without hesitation.
Fu understood and said, "Your servant understands."
Hearing him say that, Zhu Ci simply did not ask any further questions.
While this pair of monarch and subject were planning for Sichuan, another memorial from Li Zicheng arrived.
As soon as Zhu Ci saw that it was written by him, he couldn't help but sigh and say, "Old Li is far too impatient. Even recruiting soldiers takes time; is there really a need to rush like this?"
Only a few days had passed since the last memorial, yet he was already rushing him again.
He thought to himself while flipping through the memorial.
Hmm?
What's going on?
Zhu Ci, who had been sitting quite lazily, immediately sat up straight and examined the memorial carefully. He thought for a moment, then turned his head to look at Fu. "Was the assassination attempt on Heduoheqin actually carried out by the Tartars?"
A look of perfectly timed surprise appeared on Fu's face: "They actually arranged for someone to assassinate Heduoheqin?"
Zhu Ci gave him a suspicious look, feeling that things were becoming far too coincidental.