Chapter 373: Scooped Up a Lot of Money

Xu Hongru paced back and forth a few steps, his expression somewhat heavy as he said, "We've lost a lot of ground now, and morale in the army is unstable. If we don't think of something soon, I'm afraid we'll fall into chaos ourselves before anyone else does."

At this point, Wang Haoxian had long since lost his former high spirits; the whole man had become noticeably dejected. As for the situation before him, he truly had no good solution.

In terms of ability, Wang Haoxian was inherently no match for Xu Hongru; what's more, in seniority and prestige, he was even less Xu Hongru's equal.

Although the Wenxiang sect had been founded by Wang Haoxian's father, after so many years of development, power had long since been largely seized by Xu Hongru.

Originally, Wang Haoxian had only held a certain amount of practical authority, hoping to expand his own influence through this rebellion. But now that the fighting had reached this point, these things were no longer something he could continue to covet.

He hadn't even managed to take Qufu; wanting more was out of the question. Besides, the current situation didn't allow Wang Haoxian and Xu Hongru to think about anything else — only by cooperating well could both sides continue to survive.

So Wang Haoxian said, "Then what ideas do you have?"

Xu Hongru's eyes were somewhat bloodshot, his expression already twisted into a ferocious grimace as he ground his back teeth and said, "Feint at Qufu, slip past the government forces' blockade, and strike straight at Jining!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Haoxian's face turned extremely ugly.

Going straight for Jining — of course Wang Haoxian knew what Xu Hongru's objective was.

After all, there was a big shot in Jining city right now: the dog Emperor. Now that Xu Hongru wanted to kill his way straight to Jining, his purpose could only be the dog Emperor.

This angle wasn't something they hadn't considered; Wang Haoxian had thought of it himself. But the problem was, if they truly abandoned their foundation here and charged over, and if they failed to take Jining city, then their side would lose everything — they might even lose their lives in Jining.

This point couldn't possibly be ignored. Most critically, was Jining city really that easy to take?

Countless troops were gathered there now; the dog Emperor's safety was naturally the top priority, and many dog officials were there protecting him. Jining even had troops the dog Emperor had brought from the capital, commanded by the famous Qi Jin.

For their side to charge straight over and attack Jining city, their odds of victory simply weren't great.

Right now, Wang Haoxian had no confidence at all.

His side had been beaten back step by step by the government forces; after fighting for nearly half a month at Qufu, they'd taken nothing. Now going to attack Jining, he had even less confidence.

In Wang Haoxian's view, this was a road to certain death.

Seeing Wang Haoxian hesitate, a flicker of contempt passed through Xu Hongru's eyes. Toward his old friend's son, Xu Hongru truly had no regard.

What was it they were doing?

This was rebellion — a business where you hung your head from your belt, where one slip meant dying without even a place to be buried.

If you hadn't even prepared yourself for that, why were you rebelling?

When there was advantage to be had, when you thought of becoming Emperor, your heart was utterly thrilled. Now that it was time to risk your life, you suddenly had no guts?

Utterly useless!

But Xu Hongru also knew that relying on his own men alone, his hopes weren't great. Though the force Xu Hongru had raised had grown rapidly, after several major defeats recently, he no longer had many troops on hand.

Though he had ambushed the government forces a few times and won a few battles, even escaping with ease, Xu Hongru knew in his heart that these were all local victories — they couldn't possibly turn the overall tide.

If he couldn't change the overall tide, then being wiped out was only a matter of time; the best outcome would be to become a roving bandit.

But judging from the current situation, he didn't even have a chance to roam. Shandong was a place that destined him to go neither south nor north.

If he went south, he'd run into the garrison at Nanjing. Though the southern military was even more decrepit, they had numbers on their side; moreover, with tall city walls, deep moats, and a dense network of waterways, he feared he'd be blocked and killed before he could even cross the Yangtze.

If he went north, he'd charge straight into the Ji Garrison. There were large numbers of stationed troops there, and they were all border troops. Going there with his strength would be suicide.

So he could only go west. As long as he could slip past the government forces before him, he could head straight for Jining — taking it would be the best outcome. Ideally, he'd capture the dog Emperor and throw the whole realm into chaos. Only then would he have an opening, only then could he accomplish his great enterprise.

Even if he couldn't breach Jining city or capture the dog Emperor, he could still cross the Grand Canal and head west. That way, he'd still have a chance.

So heading west was the most advantageous decision.

But Xu Hongru wouldn't tell Wang Haoxian this idea. If he did, Wang Haoxian might simply choose to run.

In Xu Hongru's heart, taking Jining city and capturing the dog Emperor was the best possible ending.

Looking at Wang Haoxian, Xu Hongru knew he couldn't let him go on like this, so he said directly, "You know our situation now. Once the court's main army surrounds us, we won't even be able to flee — at that point, there's only death."

"While we can still move, we have to fight for a chance at survival. As long as we reach the walls of Jining, then all of Shandong will be thrown into a boiling pot of chaos. Armies from every region will rush to defend the Emperor, our men will finally get a chance to catch their breath, and the branch leaders in other places will have the opportunity to gather their forces."

"By that time, beacons of war will blaze across the land, the realm will be in chaos, and as long as we seize the dog Emperor, our great enterprise can succeed. This is no time for hesitation — what we do is by nature a head-losing business; there's no time to waver here."

Wang Haoxian raised his head to look at Xu Hongru, his own expression twisting savage as well, and nodded forcefully, saying, "I'll follow your lead!"

Making such a decision at this moment, Wang Haoxian had indeed steeled himself with great resolve.

After the two had settled their plans, they began mustering their forces.

One portion would feint at Qufu, while the main army advanced silently toward Jining, slipping around the government forces on the hunt and heading straight for Jining city.

Meanwhile, inside Jining city.

Zhu Youxiao was somewhat bored.

Until the matter in Shandong was settled, Zhu Youxiao couldn't leave.

But having stayed in Jining city for so many days, having visited all the places worth visiting and strolled all the places worth strolling, Zhu Youxiao truly didn't know where else to go.

As for the Shandong affair, in Zhu Youxiao's view, everything that needed doing was already done. At this point, all had settled into place.

Completely destroying the Kong family was no longer possible. Those rebels were simply too useless; in dealing with the Kong family, he could only confiscate some family property and seize some land. Beyond that, doing anything more wasn't realistic.

Of course, if he could hold a grudge, he could secretly send people to stir up small troubles after returning to the capital, cutting flesh bit by bit until the Kong family was carved away entirely. By then, no one would say anything, no one would even glance at it.

Open and aboveboard action had to stop for now.

Aside from that, there was also the Prince of Lu's manor.

The matter of the Prince of Lu's manor had also come to a close. Zhu Youxiao had fined and confiscated their money, seized their lands, and taken away half of the Prince of Lu's manor's property — one could say that was enough.

At the same time, Zhu Youxiao had also punished other members of the imperial clan, dealt with corrupt officials, and conducted no small number of household confiscations.

These past few days, quite a few ships had departed Jining city for the capital, all carrying these assets.

Though Zhu Youxiao could continue to squeeze more, he could no longer scrape. If he scraped any further, all of Shandong would be ruined.

But in this round of fighting, the Meng family had performed far better than the Kong family. The descendants of Mencius had spontaneously organized local militia, and they'd actually fought rather impressively.

Clearly, the Kong family's title of Duke Yansheng had truly brought no benefit at all — once people are elevated to high positions, they easily get carried away.

The Shandong matter was finished as far as Zhu Youxiao was concerned; all that remained was the cleanup.

The cleanup naturally didn't require the Emperor himself to handle — leaving it to Xu Guangqi and the others was enough. He didn't even need Xu Guangqi; Chen Sihai could be left there to wrap things up, and there wouldn't be any problem at all.

With nothing to do, Zhu Youxiao naturally felt restless.

Walking out from the house, Zhu Youxiao looked at Xu Guangqi approaching from outside, a helpless expression on his face.

This was the second time in three days that Zhu Youxiao had seen Xu Guangqi come here.

To be honest, Zhu Youxiao was starting to not want to see Xu Guangqi at all.

"Your servant Xu Guangqi pays respects to Your Majesty." Upon seeing Zhu Youxiao, Xu Guangqi hurriedly performed the ritual.

Xu Guangqi was naturally meticulous in his manners, but Zhu Youxiao's face held no smile as he waved his hand listlessly and said, "What business does my beloved minister have coming here today?"

"In reply to Your Majesty, your servant has come to request that Your Majesty return to the capital." Xu Guangqi said.

Zhu Youxiao let out a sigh.

This was not the first time Xu Guangqi had raised this suggestion—these past few days he had been constantly urging Zhu Youxiao to return to the capital.

In Xu Guangqi's words, the rebellion in Shandong was no longer a threat; the rebels would be wiped out within these few days, and there was no point in His Majesty remaining here. What came next—pacifying the people, calming Shandong—was all work for the officials, not something His Majesty needed to involve himself in.

If the officials did a poor job, then punish them severely. His Majesty had no need to keep watch here. Though His Majesty had been away from the capital for some time and the capital's morale was not yet unstable, it was still not a good thing for a sovereign to be away from the capital for too long.

Moreover, since Shandong had stirred up such a commotion this time and the realm was in turmoil, His Majesty should naturally take his seat in the capital.

To this end, Xu Guangqi had even written a routine memorial, elaborating in detail on his reasoning.

In truth, Zhu Youxiao understood that Xu Guangqi's meaning was simply to stop him from continuing southward and to make him hurry back to the capital. No matter how it was said, it came down to four words: quit while ahead.

In Xu Guangqi's words, Shandong had caused such a great disturbance that the whole realm was shaken. Now every region was worried about His Majesty, officials everywhere were anxious and fearful, and the scholars of the realm had lost their direction.

At a time like this, stabilizing people's hearts was the most important thing. As long as His Majesty returned to the capital, everything would settle down. Going back to win over hearts anew and soothe the scholars of the realm—that was the urgent task at hand.

Continuing southward held no further benefits. As for wanting silver, His Majesty had already scooped up quite a lot on this trip.

Xu Guangqi had accompanied Zhu Youxiao and served as the chief steward of His Majesty's journey, so he naturally knew His Majesty's accounts for this trip very well.

His Majesty had gathered over seventeen million taels of silver on this trip, plus no small number of antiques, paintings and calligraphy, shop deeds, and land contracts—these things would certainly all be sold off later, and even if they couldn't be sold, they would be transferred to the Imperial Household Department. All of it was money.

In Xu Guangqi's view, this money was already enough for His Majesty to use for some time, so there was even less reason to keep going down to squeeze out more money—pulling off this one haul had been sufficient.

If he continued to gather money, it would certainly provoke backlash from the localities, and the gain would not be worth the loss.

Zhu Youxiao looked at Xu Guangqi and said with some helplessness, "What else does my beloved minister wish to say?"

Xu Guangqi knew that his actions had become distasteful to His Majesty. But at this point, Xu Guangqi also knew he could not back down, so he could only steel himself and say, "Your Majesty, Jiangnan cannot be touched right now."

Ever since the first time he met His Majesty, Xu Guangqi had spoken many truths; back then he had been scared out of his wits, even thinking he would never walk out of the palace alive.

But in the end, not only did His Majesty not blame him, he had instead commended him, rewarding him for speaking the truth.

So now when Xu Guangqi spoke the truth, he felt no pressure in his heart.

"The situation in Liaodong is not stable—the Tartars are eyeing the northern border hungrily; the Tartars in the northwest invaded just before the new year and the Great Ming suffered heavy losses; earthquakes have struck Yulin and other places in Shaanxi, leaving the people homeless and displaced. These are all matters that urgently need resolution before our eyes, so Jiangnan cannot fall into chaos."

Xu Guangqi said with a grave face, "Now Your Majesty needs to stabilize the court, pacify Liaodong as soon as possible, rectify the Nine Border Garrisons, and enforce strict military discipline, while also teaching the Tartars a lesson so they dare not violate the border again. Only then can the court be stable and the northern border be secure."

"When that time comes, Your Majesty may go south as you please, and your servant will certainly not obstruct you." Saying this, Xu Guangqi lifted his robes and knelt on the ground, speaking with some emotion: "Your Majesty raised your servant from obscurity, and my heart is filled with joy—no, even more with gladness. That the Great Ming has such an enlightened sovereign means restoration is within reach!"

"The things Your Majesty has done, your servant also admires deeply. Your Majesty punishes corrupt officials, revitalizes governance, and strictly disciplines the meritorious nobles and imperial relatives. Even when it involves princes of the blood, Your Majesty shows no mercy. This is a just and upright sovereign, and your servant's heart is even more delighted."

"But Your Majesty, if the northern border is not at peace, then the realm will not be tranquil. Earlier there was the She-An Rebellion in the southwest, and now the Wenxiang sect has risen in revolt in Shandong—why is that?"

"It is simply that the petty villains of the realm see the court as weak, and only then dare such heaven-defying acts. Your Majesty's vision should not be fixed on petty gains; you should look to the long term, survey the whole realm, and draw lessons from past and present. Only by revitalizing the court and securing the borders can the petty villains be struck with fear. I beg Your Majesty to consider this clearly!"

Zhu Youxiao looked at Xu Guangqi, sighed helplessly, walked over to his side, and gently helped him to his feet.

He had to admit that Zhu Youxiao felt himself persuaded by Xu Guangqi.

In fact, Zhu Youxiao hadn't intended to go to Nanjing anyway.

His next target was Lianghuai—to put it plainly, he was after the salt.

Of course, that had been the goal before.

Zhu Youxiao hadn't expected to scoop up so much in Shandong. Now that he had gathered so much money, it was time to pause.

PS: The operations team is recruiting two people. Any cuties who are interested can contact Zhouzhou!