Chapter 64: The Prince of Qin Certainly Has Money, Don't Stand on Ceremony with Him!

Moreover...

As an eminent minister who would ultimately die a martyr for the Great Ming, Sun Chuanting also longed to accomplish this earth-shattering feat!

He sought no fame to echo through the ages; he only desired a clear conscience!

At this thought, he spoke directly:

"Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince, just tell me what you want your subject to do!"

Zhu Cailang fell silent for a moment before replying:

"This matter is exceedingly difficult, so it must be done step by step. After you arrive in Shaanxi, while training your troops, you are to audit and survey the exact amount of all arable land throughout Shaanxi."

"We shall treat Shaanxi as our testing ground and implement these national policies there first!"

"I will dispatch a thousand-man garrison of the Brocade Guard to accompany you, and the local Brocade Guard units in Shaanxi will also be placed under your command. You may order them to do anything."

"Carrying out such a task will inevitably result in many deaths, but staining your own reputation with those executions would be unseemly. Therefore, leave such grim tasks to the Brocade Guard."

"In addition, these Brocade Guard operatives will help you impose a news blackout in Shaanxi to ensure that the news of the land surveys does not leak."

"Of course, should it leak, it matters not; I will suppress it for you."

"This move may cause heads to roll like tumbling beans, but the Great Ming will undoubtedly welcome a renewed vitality!"

"As for the achievements of you and me, the sovereign and his minister, let future generations judge them!"

Sun Chuanting had thoroughly calmed down by this point.

When Zhu Cailang finished speaking, he quickly rose to his feet and bowed deeply to Zhu Cailang.

"Your Highness, rest assured. Even should this endeavor face a thousand obstacles, your subject is willing to serve as the vanguard!"

Zhu Cailang smiled and nodded, then continued:

"Upon your arrival in Shaanxi, not only must you survey the arable land, but you must also find ways to raise more funds and grain from those gentry to support military provisions, while simultaneously taking the opportunity to recruit and train new troops."

"As long as we hold the military power in our hands, even if they resist, we can simply crush them by force!"

"Naturally, those gentry will be unwilling to part with their wealth. That is when you let the Brocade Guard step forward—they have countless methods to make the gentry open their purses."

"Furthermore, remember to visit the Prince of Qin's estate frequently. It would be best to devise a way to extract a few million taels of silver from the Prince of Qin."

"I have already devised the method for you: gather a group of disabled veteran soldiers and have them sit right at the gates of the Prince of Qin's residence, weeping incessantly. The Prince of Qin will then know what must be done!"

"The Prince of Qin is undoubtedly wealthy; do not stand on ceremony with him!"

Hearing this, Sun Chuanting could not help but laugh bitterly. The Prince of Qin was, after all, a direct descendant of the dynastic founder, yet he was now being targeted for extortion by the Crown Prince himself.

At the same time, however, Sun Chuanting knew deep down that the Prince of Qin would undoubtedly have to cough up a massive amount of wealth and grain this time.

After all, when Li Zicheng previously breached Henan and Hubei, the imperial princes there were plundered and massacred without exception, and Prince Fu, Zhu Changxun, was even made into a cannibalistic feast by the rebel forces.

If the Prince of Qin wished to avoid sharing their fate, he would have no choice but to obediently surrender his money and grain to support the military buildup.

Realizing this, Sun Chuanting cupped his hands again and said:

"Your Highness, rest assured. Your subject knows what to do."

Following this, the two discussed specific logistical details before Sun Chuanting took his leave.

Watching Sun Chuanting's departing figure, Zhu Cailang felt that the future was full of promise.

He trusted that Sun Chuanting would not let him down!

Moreover, Sun Chuanting was fully capable of executing this endeavor, for given his current status, the military force at his disposal was simply staggering.

First, as the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers, Sun Chuanting had command over the border garrisons of the three regions. Even though half of those border forces had been wiped out by then, two to three tens of thousands remained.

Add to that the fifty thousand Qin troops about to be levied, and the total reached seventy to eighty thousand!

Beyond these, there were the forces of Zuo Liangyu, the five thousand Capital Garrison troops promised by Zhu Cailang, the twelve hundred Brocade Guard operatives of a full thousand-man garrison, and over a thousand local Brocade Guard personnel in Shaanxi.

By rough calculation, the military forces under Sun Chuanting's direct command exceeded one hundred thousand!

With an army of this magnitude, Sun Chuanting possessed the absolute military might to sweep across the entirety of Shaanxi and accomplish Zhu Cailang's reforms of land ownership and taxation!

Did the gentry resist the land surveys?

Crushed by the military!

Did the gentry band together to resist taxation?

Crushed by the military!

In short, all obstacles could be resolved by a single method!

That was to steamroll right over them with the army!

Before an army of one hundred thousand, any form of resistance was utterly fragile and insignificant...

Had it been the Chongzhen Emperor, he would never have allowed Sun Chuanting to wield such immense military authority; he would undoubtedly have dispatched other generals and eunuchs to divide and weaken Sun Chuanting's command.

But Zhu Cailang would do no such thing...

After all, if even he, a time-traveler, could not trust Sun Chuanting, then the Great Ming truly was beyond saving!

Over the next two days, no major events occurred in the capital. Zhu Cailang attended the morning court sessions as usual, and afterwards visited Bi Maokang and Bi Wenxuan to monitor the research and development progress of flintlock muskets and glass.

The manufacture of flintlock muskets still required time, given its immense technical complexity.

However, the advancement of glass-making technology had been exceptionally rapid, and they were already capable of producing transparent glass identical to that of later generations.

Bi Wenxuan provided the lenses, while the Ministry of Works handled the polishing and other materials, allowing them to produce two hundred telescopes daily.

Johann Adam Schall von Bell also arrived, bringing several artillery pieces with him, and proceeded to instruct Zhu Cailang in the various technical aspects of artillery.

In addition, Zuo Liangyu brought his son, Zuo Menggeng, to pay respects to Zhu Cailang.

Zhu Cailang had previously given Zuo Menggeng two choices: join the Brocade Guard or enter the Imperial Academy for studies.

Zuo Menggeng chose the former.

Naturally, this was entirely within Zhu Cailang's expectations.

After all, Zuo Liangyu indeed possessed considerable military talent and was a ferocious general. As long as he was willing to apply himself to suppressing the rebels, securing a peerage as an earl in the future would not be difficult.

Since Zuo Menggeng was Zuo Liangyu's only son, he could simply wait at home while his father earned military merits and inherit the title of earl. Why would he subject himself to the grueling hardships of academic study?

Upon receiving his decision, Zhu Cailang appointed Zuo Menggeng as a Centurion in the Brocade Guard and bestowed a mansion upon him.

From then on, Zuo Liangyu was firmly held in the palm of his hand!

On the whole, these past two days in the capital had been quite peaceful.

Early the following morning, Zhu Cailang did not attend the morning court as he usually did; instead, he led a retinue and waited early at the Desheng Gate.

Soon, a grand procession marched out, led by none other than Sun Chuanting and Zuo Liangyu, followed closely by a thousand-man garrison of the Brocade Guard.

Sun Chuanting and Zuo Liangyu were old acquaintances who had previously cooperated, so they quickly warmed up to each other, chatting and laughing all the way.

Following them were the military provisions and grain allocated to Sun Chuanting by Zhu Cailang, who had also transferred half of the artillery pieces and muskets from the Ministry of Works warehouses to their command.

Before long, all soldiers of the Great Ming would be equipped with flintlock muskets, rendering these older firearms obsolete. If they were not used now, there would be no future opportunity.

The five thousand Capital Garrison troops promised to Sun Chuanting had already assembled outside the city, and Zhu Cailang had additionally provided him with three hundred telescopes.

In short, Zhu Cailang was pulling out all the stops to support Sun Chuanting in suppressing the rebellion this time!

Seeing Zhu Cailang waiting for them at the city gate, the two men hurriedly dismounted and cupped their hands:

"Many thanks to Your Royal Highness the Crown Prince for coming to see us off! Your subject is deeply moved!"

Zhu Cailang smiled faintly and said:

"Think nothing of it. I simply had some free time and wished to bid you farewell in person!"

With that, Zhu Cailang gestured behind him, and Ma Bao hurriedly stepped forward bearing bowls of prepared ceremonial wine.

"Gentlemen, drink this bowl of parting wine before you depart. I await your triumphant return!"

Hearing this, Sun Chuanting and Zuo Liangyu felt another wave of deep gratitude, and each drained a full bowl of the strong farewell liquor.

Everyone knew that what was in the bowl was not merely wine, but the profound grace of the Crown Prince.

After finishing the wine, Zuo Liangyu declared with high-spirited vigor:

"Your Highness, rest assured! This time, your subject will certainly sever the heads of Zhang Xianzhi and Li Zicheng and bring them back to serve as your footstools!"

Sun Chuanting was not as boastful as Zuo Liangyu; he merely cupped his hands and said:

"Your subject will certainly not fail Your Highness's trust. Please rest assured, Your Highness!"

Zhu Cailang cared little whether Zuo Liangyu was merely bragging, and simply smiled and nodded:

"I trust you both. Once you arrive in Shaanxi, whatever your needs may be, submit your memorials freely—there is nothing I will not grant."

With these words, Sun Chuanting and Zuo Liangyu felt even more steadfast at heart.

After exchanging a few more words of encouragement, Sun Chuanting and Zuo Liangyu led the main army on their departure.

Zhu Cailang watched them leave with deeply complex feelings.

Only after their figures had completely vanished from sight did he lead his guards back to the Eastern Palace.

Meanwhile, in the capital's Eight Great Hutongs.

This was a renowned pleasure district in the capital, frequently visited by numerous officials and wealthy merchants.

Naturally, it was not merely a cluster of brothels; alongside them were many refined and upscale establishments.

The courtesans in these high-end venues were mostly skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and did not sell their bodies.

In short, this was a bustling area of mixed elements, which not only catered to high-ranking officials and nobles, but also attracted many literary scholars and figures from the jianghu underworld.

Although the Ming Dynasty had always strictly regulated such districts, by the late Ming period, enforcement had grown quite lax.

After all, with the Great Ming on the verge of ruin, who still cared about such trivial matters?