Chapter 101

"To ensure ample supplies for the army campaigning in Liaodong, I boldly petition Your Majesty to open the seas and travel south to Annan to purchase grain!"

The moment these words were spoken,

the entire imperial court instantly fell into a deathly silence.

Moments later, several censor-officials could no longer remain seated.

"How audacious!"

"Our dynasty's Taizu left ancestral injunctions forbidding even a single plank from going to sea; Your Majesty must absolutely not open the seas!"

"I second this motion!"

"Discipline must not be disrupted; I second this motion!"

"..."

Hearing this, a strange smile suddenly appeared on the corner of Du Yinxie's mouth.

Then, with righteous indignation, he turned to face the censor-officials behind him and sternly rebuked them:

"Do you intend to sit idly by and watch the tragedy of the Battle of Xingshan repeat itself?!"

"Are the troops of our Great Ming campaigning in Liaodong not even allowed to fill their bellies?!"

"Ancestral injunctions of Taizu? If Taizu's spirit watches from heaven, would he bear to see the descendants of our Great Ming's imperial clan die so unjustly in Liaodong?!"

"Or perhaps, do you gentlemen secretly wish for the noble scions of our Great Ming to fight another Battle of Xingshan?!"

The moment his voice fell,

those few censor-officials immediately became incoherent as they looked at Du Yinxie and stammered,

"You, you, why do you falsely slander our integrity out of thin air?!"

"May Your Majesty see clearly; we officials absolutely have no such intention, we, we..."

"..."

The moment his voice fell,

the entire imperial court instantly fell into a deathly silence once more.

Have I become a rebellious traitor?!

How can one respond to this?

If anyone says even one more word,

they will immediately be branded a Han traitor collaborating with the enemy!

Seeing the censor-officials behind him rendered speechless, Du Yinxie immediately spoke sternly again:

"Furthermore, to ensure ample provisions for the great army campaigning in Liaodong, I petition Your Majesty to re-survey all farmland under heaven to guarantee sufficient revenue from land taxes!"

Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian looked at Du Yinxie before him,

then glanced at the civil and military officials on his left and right, and asked with profound implication:

"Regarding Minister Du's proposal, who agrees, and who opposes?"

Oppose?

Do we dare to oppose?!

This accusation carries too much weight.

Let alone the ancestral injunctions of Lord Taizu;

even if Lord Taizu himself rose from the dead, he could not withstand such a crushing accusation!

Just as Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian, fully satisfied, was preparing to approve Du Yinxie's request,

Du Yinxie slowly drew a memorial from his sleeve.

He then continued to read it aloud in the court with an air of lofty righteousness:

"To ensure ample weaponry for the great army campaigning in Liaodong, I petition for a joint survey of all iron mines under heaven, covering various mineral types, totaling seventeen categories."

"To ensure ample manpower for the great army campaigning in Liaodong, I petition for a census of all vacant positions within the guard posts under heaven."

"To ensure the great army campaigning in Liaodong has no worries behind them, I petition for the court to purchase farmland from the gentry and distribute it to the families of soldiers who own no land!"

"In addition, the court must prepare plow oxen and rice seeds; if Liaodong is victorious, the three armies shall be rewarded, but if defeated, these assets shall be sold to fund military training!"

"..."

By the time Du Yinxie finished reading,

the faces of every official in the court had turned green with shock.

Du Yinxie might as well have tied the stray dogs at the village entrance to the Liaodong campaign!

Yet, every official knew

they could not utter a single word against Du Yinxie.

Whoever opposes

is Qin Hui!

Whoever opposes is a traitor to the state!

Whoever opposes is a Han traitor!

Isn't this the very method we of the Donglin Party used to purge our rivals?

How did this rogue Du Yinxie manage to learn it?!

Meanwhile, Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian, seated on the Dragon Throne, was already smiling so broadly his mouth could not close.

They keep invoking the ancestral injunctions of Taizu at every turn.

If Taizu could come here, he would probably be standing outside Fengtian Gate sharpening his knife right now.

"Minister Du shall present this directly; I shall personally approve it. The affairs of Liaodong concern the very foundation of our Han people's realm and cannot be delayed; all policies shall be implemented with speed and expediency!"

"This official accepts the decree!"

At the same time.

The situation on the Liaodong battlefield was also undergoing drastic changes almost every day.

Firearms were constantly being upgraded, and warships continuously made landfall to conduct searches.

Zheng Sen even personally went ashore right under Hong Taiji's nose to retrieve several batches of Han civilians attempting to flee back inside the Pass.

Inside the Grand Administration Hall.

Hong Taiji stared fixedly at the memorials submitted by the various counties, suddenly flying into a rage.

"The Ming want to fight whenever they please!"

"What is their intention?!"

Dorgon, his face gloomy, whispered in a low voice,

"Your Majesty, in recent days, the Zhu Emperor, under the pretext of the national humiliation in Liaodong, has instigated a great prison case in the court, arresting hundreds of officials."

"Now, under the guise of campaigning against Liaodong, he is re-surveying all the farmland in the realm."

"If we continue to drag this out, the Battle of Xingshan will likely help the Zhu Emperor plow through the entire Great Ming Dynasty anew."

Looking at the various intelligence reports sent back by spies from inside the Pass.

Hong Taiji slumped onto the Dragon Throne.

Since the beginning of this year after the New Year, the Ming army's artillery fire has become increasingly fierce, with cannonballs striking from ever greater distances.

Meanwhile, their armor has also become progressively more refined.

Most crucially, while Li Huang Zicheng's forces in the northwest are dwindling by the day, the numbers of the Ming army keep growing with each battle.

Originally, the Great Ming's capital was adjacent to Shanhai Pass.

Now even a fool can see that Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Zhu Youjian is plainly cultivating the Guan-Ning Army as his Imperial Capital Camp.

If chaos erupts inside the Pass, the Guan-Ning Army immediately deploys inward; if chaos erupts in Liaodong, the Guan-Ning Army immediately engages the enemy.

Hong Taiji had nearly moved his entire household to Hetu Ala.

As soon as the Ming army made the slightest move, Hong Taiji would immediately lead the Eight Banners to relocate the capital and sit waiting for internal turmoil within the Great Ming.

But the Ming army could move!

The Ming army simply did not move.

How could he possibly lose?!

Just as Hong Taiji knitted his brows in deep worry.

Outside the Grand Administration Hall, Nikan hurriedly ran up into the hall.

"Master, terrible news! The Ming army, the Ming army has crossed the river!"

The words had barely left his mouth.