The Ming Dynasty started with caution

Ten days passed, and Yan Chengjin was waiting for news from outside the capital.

Early the next morning, he came to the duty room of the Censorate.

As soon as he sat down, he saw the clerk walking in quickly with a memorial.

"Sir, an urgent memorial from the Nanjing Censor!"

"Sir, an urgent memorial from the Yangzhou Censor!"

"Sir, an urgent memorial from the Songjiang Censor!"

As soon as the three finished speaking, another censor rushed in: "Sir, an urgent memorial from the Puzhou Huai'an Censor!"

"Sir, an urgent memorial from the Ningxia Censor!"

More than a dozen urgent memorials were sent to the duty room.

Yan Chengjin calmly took the memorial and took a closer look.

"Sir, 11 prefectures, 4 states, 11 counties, and 1 capital, a total of 27 places have collapsed!"

Ning, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Jiaxing, Su, Song, Chang, Zhen, Huai, Yang, Ning and other prefectures, as well as Tong, He, Pu, Jie four states, and Nanjing, all collapsed!

Bad omen... a big bad omen!

The landslide is not the most serious, after all, the roof is only one or two layers, it won't crush a few people.

The important thing is the chain reaction caused by the landslide.

Many prefectures are in the south of the Yangtze River, and the south of the Yangtze River is the biggest tax revenue of the court. Once the landslide occurs, the tax revenue of the treasury this year will be reduced again.

Instantly, Yan Chengjin's eyes slightly condensed, and he saw a few lines of words on the urgent report: Ningxia's city wall collapsed, and Lord Yan, the general of the three borders, was buried under the city...

"Is this official an orphan?"

Yan Chengjin muttered in his heart and continued to read:

Lord Yan is now injured, and now the Tatars are gathering outside the city, and Lord Yan is leading the army to meet the enemy...

Being injured means he is still alive.

He plans to send Hu Dalong to Ningxia. The city wall is gone, and it is the beginning of spring, and there will be another war.

"Has your Majesty received the memorial?"

The censor said, "No one has reported it yet."

Yan Chengjin pondered for a moment. A prosperous era is as difficult as ascending to heaven. There are many irresistible natural disasters.

Since the middle of the Ming Dynasty, there have been many earthquakes, just like the sky is going to rain and the mother is going to get married, he can't change it.

At this time, the cabinet.

Liu Jian took a sip of tea, and the civil servants sent in urgent memorials one after another. He was still calm after reading one.

But when he saw the second and third letters, his back was full of sweat, and his whole body was as cold as a dead person.

He held his breath and looked at Li Dongyang: "Bin...Binzhi, when you came back just now, was your Majesty still in Wenhua Hall?"

Li Dongyang walked over and took a look. It was all memorials about the collapse of the earth.

Songjiang Prefecture was even more terrifying. The waves were more than ten feet high. The merchant ships that were supposed to land were delayed.

"Mr. Liu, let's go to see your Majesty first!"

"Well, your Majesty needs to decide."

Soon, Liu Jian and the other two came to Wenhua Hall.

When Emperor Hongzhi saw the three of them coming together, holding a memorial in his hand, he was a little nervous: "What's the matter with the three ministers?"

"Your Majesty, it really collapsed."

Emperor Hongzhi breathed a sigh of relief and put down his pen: "Land collapses every year, just order the Ministry of Revenue to issue relief silver."

"This time is different, 27 landslides! Jiangnan is the first to be affected." Liu Jian said in a trembling voice.

"The wall of Ningxia collapsed."

Emperor Hongzhi's head buzzed, his face pale: "27 landslides?"

On ordinary days, a landslide in one place is enough to make the national treasury financially tight.

Now, 27 landslides...

He has a hunch that the national treasury will go bankrupt this year.

At this moment, the eunuch ran in to report: "Your Majesty, Lord Chai from the Ministry of War wants to see you!"

Chai Sheng strode into the hall, looking nervous, and bowed to Emperor Hongzhi: "Your Majesty, Annan reported back that Pang Wei led the army to a great defeat and was beheaded by the enemy. The army was trapped in Annan..."

With a bang, Emperor Hongzhi's sky collapsed, his eyes went black, and he almost fell on the desk.

Chai Sheng did not dare to look up, who knew that the Annan people were so brave.

At this time, outside the hall, Wang Qiong came running with his clothes in his hands, calmed his breath, and walked into the Fengtian Hall: "Your Majesty, your servant Wang Qiong, I meet you."

"How much silver is left in the treasury?" Emperor Hongzhi asked directly.

"More than four million taels, but apart from the salary, the southwest military pay, and the repair of the Grand Canal, only 300,000 taels can be used." Wang Qiong said.

Emperor Hongzhi's heart fell into the abyss.

Xie Qian sighed and said, "At the beginning, we advised against building the Grand Canal."

Chai Sheng also said, "Your Majesty, the most urgent task is to summon all officials to discuss. Many places need relief silver, and there is no need to waste troops against Annan."

The implication is to cut off the military rations in the southwest.

Xie Qian nodded: "Annan is not worth mentioning. The biggest concern is the Tatars in the northwest."

The great Ming Dynasty will lose face among the four barbarians if it is defeated by Annan.

But now that twenty-seven places have collapsed, the court is too busy to take care of itself and can't even send relief silver.

The Tatars took the opportunity to send troops to Ningxia.

Is it God's will to destroy the Ming Dynasty...

Emperor Hongzhi sat on the dragon chair, took a deep breath, and quickly calmed down. He issued an order: "Order all officials to come to court."

Not long after, Fengtian Hall.

The officials whispered below. It was almost noon. Why did His Majesty summon them to court?

Emperor Hongzhi said in a deep voice: "Today, many places reported back that there were 27 landslides. The Tatars took the opportunity to send troops, and the war in the southwest was defeated.

I decided to cut off the southwest army and order the withdrawal.

The Grand Canal will not be repaired for the time being."

The officials were in a commotion. There were 27 landslides.

For each landslide, 200,000 or 300,000 silvers were needed for relief, and tax exemption for one year.

Yan Chengjin thought carefully for a moment. Han Wen led the army in Annan. If the food supply was cut off at this time, the whole army would be wiped out.

"I think it is not possible."

A calm voice resounded through the hall from the direction of the Censorate, making the whole hall quiet.

Emperor Hongzhi looked at Yan Chengjin: "I know that sending troops to Annan and repairing the Grand Canal were all the advice of Yan Qingjia, and I don't mean to blame you, so don't advise me."

Yan Chengjin bowed and said: "I know that the treasury is in urgent need, but there is a way to allow the southwest to continue to advance troops and the construction of the Grand Canal to proceed as scheduled."

"Where does the money come from?"

"Issuing war bonds."

Queen Victoria had no money to complete overseas expansion, but she issued war bonds, let capital pay, and expanded overseas colonization.

Emperor Hongzhi showed a puzzled look: "What is a national debt?"

All the officials were also confused.

"That is, the court borrowed money from the gentry, gave the gentry an IOU, and promised to pay interest monthly." Yan Chengjin was concise.

Borrowing money from the gentry to fight was unheard of.

All the officials were confused.

Yan Chengjin continued: "It doesn't necessarily have to be interest, the spoils can also be divided among the gentry."

Emperor Hongzhi asked: "What if we lose?"

"The court is living on debt."

Losing will trigger an economic crisis.

Investing a lot of manpower and material resources in the war means that the court will be short of materials and money.

Moreover, it will make the gentry lose confidence in the court, bankrupt their credit, and turn to support the rebellious warlords, such as King Ning.

Yan Chengjin has considered all of this.

Chai Sheng sighed: "How can the gentry be willing to pay the money?"

"Master Chai is right!" Wang Qiong said.

If it were them, they would not be willing to pay the money to the court to fight!

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