Chapter 986: Civil unrest is like fire, people are like firewood

Light power and heavy responsibility is the drawback of the current Great Ming Wenyuange minister system.

The Great Ming cabinet ministers now have a total of five people: Zhang Juzheng leads the Ministry of Personnel, Ling Yunyi leads the Ministry of Justice, Shen Li leads the Ministry of Rites, Zhang Xueyan leads the Ministry of Revenue, and Lu Guangzu leads the Censorate. This is a unique pattern of the Wanli era. Logically speaking, they should have removed these errands after becoming cabinet ministers and focused on being cabinet ministers.

The fact is also that they are on duty in the Wenyuange, and the errands of each department are handled by the Minister of the Ministry or the Left Vice Minister as the hall official.

However, having said that!

The Emperor and the Senior Grand Secretary played tricks. The actual decision-making formulation of the Great Ming is the Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion. This is a special political consultation system formed during the Wanli era when the ruler was young and the state was in doubt.

Logically speaking, this special system in a special period should have returned to its original appearance after the Emperor personally took over the government. After all, the Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion and joint decision somewhat offended the imperial power.

When the ruler was young and the state was in doubt, the Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion was to prevent ministers from bullying the Emperor. This joint discussion system was protecting the young Emperor. At that time, Feng Bao scolded this and that all day long, and was very majestic.

After the Emperor personally took over the government, this joint discussion system somewhat offended the authority of the imperial power. After all, the ministers' joint decision was equivalent to the Emperor being sidelined by the ministers. If the ministers discussed it privately, wouldn't the Emperor's decision be completely rejected?

This drawback, because the Emperor's authority was getting heavier, did not show up. In the nineteenth year of Wanli, "I have decided," no one dared to oppose.

This was all earned by the Emperor reading military horses every day, controlling the Capital Battalion, memorials not staying overnight, and being diligent like the Taizu High Emperor, and being frugal, with the inner treasury all devoted to national affairs.

This joint discussion system could still run very smoothly, all running on the bug of carding.

If the Emperor's authority, military, and finance were a little less, the Emperor would be sidelined;

If there was no joint discussion system, the Emperor's authority would be unmatched, and the ministers would become paper-pasted three Grand Secretaries and mud-sculpted six Ministers;

If the ministers had ghosts in their hearts, there were more incompetent people, and the Emperor was lazy, this joint discussion system would become a meeting of pulling skin, incompetent and inefficient.

Precisely because they happened to form checks and balances, this joint discussion system became the optimal solution for the present.

The world is a huge grass-stage team, and the Zhao Wenhua Hall of the Heavenly Dynasty is no exception.

Missing any link will be unstable, causing a huge political storm that will sweep the entire Great Ming.

The Emperor entrusting national affairs to ministers can save some heart, and ministers can also have a place to pull skin, not to the point of completely tearing their faces, and policies can be decided quickly and implemented.

Zhu Yijun does not know how long this system can run stably, but he knows that Ye Xianggao's worry is right. Light power and heavy responsibility is the dilemma of the cabinet ministers at present.

In the original historical line, during the Wanli era or even the Great Ming, Shen Shiying was the last cabinet minister who dared to do things. Even if he carried water, even if he wanted everyone to be comprehensive, but every time he made everyone not comprehensive, it looked a bit comical, but he was still struggling to maintain this mess, hoping that the Great Ming could get better.

After Shen Shiying left, the Great Ming completely fell into party strife.

There were no authoritative figures, no political strongmen, everyone was struggling in the quagmire, and then slowly rotting. No one was willing to stand up and take responsibility, and no one was willing to raise their arms and shout, reform the old evils, and renew from the beginning. They were all harmonizing with the light and dust, and all were enduring for the country.

Zhu Yijun thought about it to no avail, and the inquiry to the Cabinet also had no result.

Zhu Yijun pondered to no avail, and his decree to the Cabinet asking for advice also yielded no results.

The inquiry about the Cabinet yesterday was actually realized by the cabinet ministers long ago, but this layer of window paper had never been pierced by anyone. Ye Xianggao was very smart, but every one who could reach the step of cabinet minister was very smart.

Ye Xianggao discovered it, and the cabinet ministers of previous dynasties also discovered it.

For example, in the first year of Wanli, Zhang Juzheng wanted to promote the official examination law, but Minister of Personnel Yang Bo tried his best to block it. Zhang Juzheng could not promote it. It was not until the Wang Jinglong case broke out that Zhang Juzheng used the Wang Jinglong case to calm things down, exchanged for the promotion of the official examination law, and was personally asked by the Emperor.

Later, Zhang Juzheng gritted his teeth, hardened his heart, took the Ministry of Personnel himself, and thoroughly promoted the official examination law, and then formed an alliance with Wang Guoguang to promote the clearing of land.

At that time, the Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion and joint decision system had not yet been formed. This system was thoroughly established until the sixth year of Wanli, when the Senior Grand Secretary gradually returned the government to the top, and it was slowly established.

Zhang Juzheng knew that this system was unstable, but he had no choice. The Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion was the center of the power vortex.

How this center should run to be stable, efficient, not mutually constrained, and not mutually attacked, there has been no standard answer since ancient times.

Zhang Juzheng started to write, and then put down the pen. Finally, he left a blank memorial. For the current power center system design, he had no plan.

Zhang Juzheng picked up his brush, then set it down again. In the end, he left behind a blank memorial. Regarding the current design of the power-center system, he was at his wit's end.

"Master, His Majesty will arrive in person tomorrow. Both the inside and outside have been cleaned thoroughly." You Shouli walked into the study of the Wenchang Pavilion and reported on the cleaning situation in the residence. Tomorrow would be the twenty-third of the month again, and His Majesty would be coming to the Quanchu Quanchu Quanchu Huiguan to sponge a meal once more.

It is also because of the intimate relationship between the Emperor and the head of the civil officials that the Zhao Wenhua Hall court officials cannot form a joint force to sideline the Emperor.

"Did the palace send news?" Zhang Juzheng thought for a while and asked.

You Shouli did not know what news the Master was asking about, and answered truthfully: "The palace sent news, tomorrow as usual."

"Got it." Zhang Juzheng nodded.

You Shouli did not know what news the Master was asking about, so he answered truthfully, "News has come from the palace; tomorrow will be as usual."

Zhu Changzhi and Zhu Changchao practiced martial arts together, and their relationship was very good. Zhu Changchao was in poor health, so Zhu Changzhi let him, and the two were intimate.

Of course, it would be better if they could worry less about the ornamental fish in the Quanchu Association.

The young princes were shooting fish, and the Empress sat in the pavilion by the pool to avoid the heat, with the palace people standing by. A burst of arguments came from the Wenchang Pavilion.

Wang Yaozhuo looked at the Wenchang Pavilion and felt it was very normal.

The leader of the young and strong faction and the leader of the conservative faction, it would be strange if they didn't quarrel. This kind of quarrel came once every two or three months. Wang Yaozhuo was terrified at first, but later found that the number of times did not increase, and there was no discord, so he was too lazy to pay more attention.

Having said that, it's good to quarrel. When quarreling, they are all straight-spoken, and their true thoughts are all spoken out.

The quarrel between the Emperor and the Senior Grand Secretary Imperial Teacher this time was also somewhat fun. It was still the topic of the Emperor's youth, whether the monarch and the country, the monarch and the father, could be cut, and the question of whether the monarch is the monarch and the country is the country.

The Emperor still felt that it could be cut, but the Senior Grand Secretary felt that the Emperor was naive. They talked and talked and quarreled, and quarreled and stopped.

"Okay, okay, I know." Zhu Yijun chose to compromise. Zhang Juzheng was right. If they really cut it, the Emperor's power and responsibility would not be equal. The power was too great, and the responsibility was too small.

Zhang Juzheng naturally wanted to oppose. Emperor Shizong burned incense, the previous Emperor hid, and finally a diligent monarch appeared. Zhang Juzheng had to stop the Emperor's power and responsibility imbalance no matter what.

The Emperor still felt that it was possible to cut ties, while the Senior Grand Secretary felt the Emperor was naive. As they spoke, they began to argue, and as they argued, they stopped.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng saw that His Majesty recognized his point of view, saw the good and stopped, and did not pursue the victory.

"This cabinet minister has light power and heavy responsibility, does the Master have a good plan?" Zhu Yijun talked about Ye Xianggao's problem.

Zhang Juzheng thought seriously for a while, and finally shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, it is quite good now. Where the Emperor is, the court is."

Cabinet ministers lead the six departments or the Censorate, and the problem of light power has been solved. Also because the Emperor is authoritative enough, plus the Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion and public decision-making system, there is no need to worry about usurpation. As long as it can run stably, it is better not to move at will.

And, Zhu Yijun has been an Emperor for so many years, and found that the more he wants to be perfect, the more he wants to be comprehensive, the more he messes things up. Doing things must have trade-offs

?? But if you don't want to trade off, you will never succeed.

Sometimes, doing nothing is also a kind of wisdom.

"The Master's words make sense, it is better not to move randomly." Zhu Yijun and Zhang Juzheng reached a consensus on this matter. He wanted to be perfect, but reality told him that he couldn't do it, so he maintained the status quo.

"How is the Second Prince's health?" Zhang Juzheng looked at Zhu Changchao shooting fish outside the window and asked about the Second Prince's health.

"I almost harmed him. Fortunately, the imperial physician Chen Shigong has superb medical skills and can be called a resurrection." Zhu Yijun talked about Zhu Changchao's illness, which had completely recovered.

Before, Zhu Yijun had always had a fluke mentality. He felt that when the child grew up a little, he would get better. Avoiding surgery if he could avoid it, but it made the illness drag on and get heavier.

Zhu Yijun looked outside the window and said with a smile: "Now Chao'er grows an inch a month, almost as tall as his brother, and much stronger."

"Very good." Zhang Juzheng felt very good when he heard such news.

Emperor Shizong was devoted to burning incense, which was also related to the subsequent successive deaths of princes. In the three years from the 16th year of Jiajing to the 19th year of Jiajing, the four princes born one after another died one after another.

Zhang Juzheng was very worried about Zhu Changchao's health, because some things, once they started, would be continuous.

Premature death was relatively common in this year, but four princes in a row died before they were one year old, and the problem became somewhat weird.

When Zhu Changchao was seriously ill, Zhang Juzheng was still worried that it would start again, but now the two brothers playing and making trouble made Zhang Juzheng breathe a sigh of relief. This represented that the defense of the Tonghe Palace was still impenetrable.

"What is the Master worried about?" Zhu Yijun keenly noticed that Zhang Juzheng's mood had become better.

"Worried about whether Shen Shiying can handle things, or more accurately, whether he can protect His Majesty well." Zhang Juzheng said his worries in his own home, with no one around.

"Hahaha." Zhu Yijun laughed, the sound was very loud. Zhang Juzheng was old, sixty-eight years old, and began to have inherent suspicion, and even did not trust the students he had known for many years.

"I will protect myself well." Zhu Yijun would not entrust his own safety to others, not even Zhang Juzheng.

Imperial power is invincible within three feet, but within three feet, you have to protect yourself. Entrusting it to anyone is unreliable.

"Songjiang Water Navy Regional Commander Chen Lin reported that he wanted to wait for the imperial road to be repaired and let me stay in Songjiang Prefecture for a few months." Zhu Yijun took out the joint memorial of Yingtian Provincial Governor Wang Yie, Songjiang Provincial Governor Li Le, Songjiang Prefect Wang Qian, and Marquis of Shouli Chen Lin, and handed it to Zhang Juzheng.

After Zhang Juzheng read the memorial, he thought carefully.

There are pros and cons, and the pros outweigh the cons.

The benefits are obvious. The Great Ming

emphasizes both sea and land, with opening the sea as the priority. Many urgent tasks require His Majesty to handle them personally in Songjiang Prefecture, especially as the Water Navy grows stronger, the trust problem will become more and more obvious. If the Emperor goes to Songjiang Prefecture, these problems can be alleviated or even solved.

The disadvantage is that the Emperor may be in danger. After all, if he leaves the capital for a little too long, the capital, which looks loyal but is actually not loyal, will have trouble, and the safety of the Emperor himself and the princes will have to be questioned.

No matter if it is the Emperor or the princes, if something happens to any of them, it will cause a violent shock that the Great Ming cannot accept.

"Your subject thinks it is not urgent." Zhang Juzheng expressed his view. He disagreed, or rather, he thought it would be more stable to wait until the princes grew up a little before talking about this matter.

People are slow and safe, Zhang Juzheng had already made his words very clear, and the Emperor could understand.

Some things, as long as there is a problem once, it is a collapse of heaven and earth. Once a prince dies, the trust between monarch and minister will completely collapse, and the systems like the Zhao Wenhua Hall court discussion that run on subtle balance will disappear with the disappearance of trust, or even become dispensable.

"The Master's words make sense, but I still have to go." Zhu Yijun looked at the two children running around, playing and making trouble outside the window, and after thinking for a long time, he finally made a decision.

Zhang Juzheng was absolutely not alarmist. What he worried about had happened in the Great Ming, and more than once.

Zhu Yijun was no longer alone. He was the father of several children. Once he left the capital for a long time, and went to Songjiang Prefecture for a few months or even half a year every year, it was to put several children in extreme danger.

This is a trade-off problem, national affairs, or family affairs. In the end, Zhu Yijun still had to choose national affairs.

"Your Majesty, the king is selfless. Your Majesty's family affairs are also national affairs." Zhang Juzheng tried to persuade again. The Emperor chose national affairs first, and Zhang Juzheng was naturally happy, but the Emperor had no family affairs, all were national affairs. The safety of the princes directly involved the national destiny of the Great Ming.

Zhu Yijun looked hesitant. Zhang Juzheng was right. In fact, he could slow down. As long as he was still there, the Songjiang Water Navy would not be chaotic. The trust problem was not that serious. With the secret memorial system, Zhu Yijun could communicate with Chen Lin in a way that others could not know. Many things could be made clear.

Slander and alienation by treacherous officials were not so easy. Zhu Yijun was not stupid. The Great Ming monarch and ministers all knew that His Majesty the Emperor was not so easy to fool.

Zhu Yijun thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Wait until the imperial road is repaired, start with the excuse of avoiding the cold, stay in Songjiang Prefecture for one or two months and then return, and slowly add more time."

The Emperor finally did not make a choice immediately, but waited until the imperial road was repaired to see the situation. At the beginning, he could go once every two or three years, stay for one or two months at a time, and slowly increase the number of times and time.

"Your Majesty is wise." Zhang Juzheng recognized the Emperor's statement.

"Your Majesty, your subject feels that the industrial alliance and the conversion of craftsmen into officials are somewhat conflicting." Zhang Juzheng said with a heavy face: "The power given is too great, which is not very good."

The conversion of craftsmen into officials is being carried out in Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhang Juzheng keenly noticed some problems.

The story of the dragon slayer becoming a dragon was staged on the craftsmen.

This is not strange. Once power is mastered, it will be alienated by power. First, doubt arises in the depths of the heart, why should I persist, and then the heart changes, others can take it, why can't I take it, and then slowly grow dragon scales, and finally become a dragon.

People are always so forgetful, the daughter-in-law who was scolded becomes a mother-in-law, and begins to scold the daughter-in-law; students who cursed the dark world of corruption become officials and become even worse; people always forget the bitterness they suffered and the crimes they suffered because of forgetfulness, and also because of forgetfulness, they still make the mistakes of their predecessors.

"Does the Master mean that the conversion of craftsmen into officials and the industrial alliance can only choose one?" Zhu Yijun thought for a while and asked: "Which one does the Master think is better?"

"I want them all." Zhang Juzheng waved his hand and said: "Your subject means it is too urgent. The official factory reform of the equity system was carried out at the beginning of the year, the industrial alliance was established in the middle of the year, and it is only August, and the conversion of craftsmen into officials is about to happen. It is too urgent."

"If things are slow, they will be round. Your subject means that the Xishan Coal Bureau was managed very well by Duke Wencheng and can fully withstand such a big change, but the official factories in various places should promote reform mainly based on the equity system, let the craftsmen adapt to their new identities first, and wait for a period of time before carrying out the preparation of the industrial alliance."

"If contradictions do not conflict sufficiently, the state of reconciliation cannot be reached. The Xishan Coal Bureau is relatively special."

The elite troops of the Capital Battalion are very good at fighting, which does not mean that the military soldiers of the Nine Borders are as good at fighting as the elite troops.

The Xishan Coal Bureau can do it because when Wang Chonggu was alive, he explored the industrial alliance four times, and finally failed, so Shen Shiying could do it so smoothly.

Official factories in other places should not promote policies so fiercely. The equity system, the industrial alliance, and the conversion of craftsmen into officials, these three things related to craftsmen, the most important foundation is the equity system.

Let the craftsmen become the masters of the official factories, let them know that they are masters, and know what kind of power they possess.

Zhang Juzheng does not blame the dragon slayer for becoming a dragon, at least in this process of craftsman change,

the court promoted the policy too fast.

"Then follow the Master's words, and promote the equity system first." Zhu Yijun followed the trend and recognized Zhang Juzheng's view. The conservative faction has the benefits of the conservative faction, which can pull the extreme policies in the radical reform faction, let the policies be promoted slowly, and fully reconcile in contradictions.

In the current Great Ming, the external environment is not bad. The Great Ming Capital Battalion suppresses the north, and the Water Navy suppresses the south. There is no need to do things with such big steps and so urgently.

Zhang Juzheng simply expressed his desire to retire. After the New Year, he will be sixty-eight years old. He is old, his energy is insufficient on the one hand, and he is becoming more and more stubborn, and he is becoming less and less able to listen to others. He feels it is time to leave the court and hand it over to his successors.

Seventy is rare since ancient times. At Zhang Juzheng's age, he is almost a human treasure. Zhang Juzheng feels that continuing to sit in the position of Senior Grand Secretary delays the progress of his successors. He plans to retire after the New Year, read books, compile books, raise fish, and enjoy his old age.

Wang Chonggu actually knew the drawbacks of his heavy human feelings very well, but when people get old, they will be like this, stubborn like a child, feeling that his path is completely correct and cannot be questioned.

This stubbornness is very obvious. He just wants to establish an industrial alliance under the condition of heavy human feelings. Unexpectedly, he failed many times. Wang Chonggu knew clearly that he was the obstacle to the official factory reform, but he could no longer change it.

"Master, retreating at the height of your career, others can do it, but the Master cannot. The Master understands what I am saying." Zhu Yijun naturally wanted Zhang Juzheng to rest, which had nothing to do with power, imperial power, or ministerial power.

This old man exhausted all his efforts for the Great Ming, old and weak. If he could rest, he would naturally agree.

But can he retreat?

"It is true, your subject was a bit delusional." Zhang Juzheng was stunned, and then laughed at himself. Others might be able to, but he could only die in the position of Senior Grand Secretary. Opening the reform requires paying a price. A bad old age and not ending well is the price.

When Zhang Juzheng first became Senior Grand Secretary and opened the official examination law, he had anticipated the arrival of this day, but as he got older, he had some fantasies of retreating at the height of his career.

On this point, Zhang Juzheng admitted that he was not as clear as Wang Chonggu.

This stubbornness was manifested very clearly. He was determined to establish a Labor Alliance under the condition of excessive human sentiment. Unsurprisingly, he failed many times. Wang Chonggu clearly knew that he was the resistance to the reform of the official factories, but he could no longer change it.

After Zhu Yijun left the Quanchu Association, he took a turn and went to Wang Guoguang's home to visit the old minister. Wang Guoguang is eighty years old this year. At this age, it is already very difficult.

Zhu Yijun went to visit, not because Wang Guoguang's condition worsened and he entered the terminal stage, but because after Zhang Juzheng's visit last time, Wang Guoguang's health improved significantly, and Zhu

Yijun intended to see him again while he was still conscious.

"Your Majesty has grown so tall." When Wang Guoguang saw the Emperor, he was very confused. The Emperor in his impression was still a little fat boy who was not very tall. The appearance of the majestic monarch and the little fat boy of that year constantly overlapped.

Zhu Yijun sat in front of Wang Guoguang and said with a smile: "I am almost thirty."

"Good, good." Wang Guoguang looked at the Emperor's appearance and was quite gratified. The more he looked, the more satisfied he was. With such a heroic Majesty, when he went to the Nine Springs, he could explain it to the previous Emperor and Emperor Shizong.

Emperor Shizong and the previous Emperor entrusted the country to these heavy ministers. Today's scene of the Great Ming, these heavy ministers have no shame.

"Your Majesty, your subject has thought for a long time, and the migration of people in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan set by General Qi is still inappropriate." Wang Guoguang struggled to sit up straight, let his son bring a memorial, and after these days, he dictated it, his son wrote it, and a memorial had already been written.

"Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan are too far. It is better to migrate people from Shanxi, Beizhili, and Shandong, which is more stable. In this way, under the change of heaven, the people of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan also have a place to go." Wang Guoguang continued: "The migration of people in the ancestor's constitution was a helpless move. At that time, ten rooms and nine empty, only distant migration was possible. Now we can migrate nearby."

Wang Guoguang saw the problem in the memorial of migrating people proposed by Qi Jiguang at a glance. Migrating people from Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan to fill Liaodong, even if there is the benefit of the imperial road, it is still too far. It is better to migrate people from Shanxi, Beizhili, and Shandong to fill Liaodong, so as to leave population redundancy, and Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan can migrate nearby.

Zhu Yijun read Wang Guoguang's memorial and was a little surprised. Wang Guoguang was already ill, and even could not recognize him, the Emperor, but the whole memorial was still reasonable and well-founded, and the logic was very clear.

Wang Guoguang's idea was very specific, and the focus was to let the near migration of Henan and Hebei allow the population of these two places to drop to the range that the land could bear, the main purpose being to prevent civil unrest.

More specifically, it was Henan.

"Civil unrest is like fire, people are like firewood, drawing firewood from the bottom of the cauldron." Zhu Yijun completely understood Wang Guoguang's idea.

The most violent impact of the change of heaven is the Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan places. The possibility of civil unrest is very, very high. But these places have fewer people, and in fact, if they are chaotic for a while and a batch of people die, they will be stable.

Henan has a large population. If large-scale civil unrest breaks out, Henan is the key. If the population of Henan drops to the range that the land can bear, Henan will not be chaotic, the hearts of the people will not be lost, and civil unrest can be blocked in Tongguan.

This looks extremely cruel. Are the people in the hinterland people, and the people in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan not?

Wang Guoguang also explained very clearly that the court must first consider the survival of the country. This is the last bottom-line means. When there is really no other way, we must control the civil unrest within a certain range.

"It won't reach this step. The Great Ming will not have that day of breaking the wrist. As long as I am alive, I guarantee that there will not be that day." Zhu Yijun made a solemn promise to Wang Guoguang.

If the change of heaven continues to increase, and there are signs of great chaos, Zhu Yijun will turn his blade inward, kill all the powerful and wealthy, and the local gentry, and carry out thorough land equalization in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Suiyuan.

Sacrificing one place to preserve the overall situation cannot preserve the overall situation at all. ===== CHAPTER 987 =====

"Civil unrest is like fire, and the people are like firewood—draw the firewood from under the cauldron." Zhu Yijun completely understood Wang Guoguang's idea.

The places most severely affected by the celestial changes were the Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui regions. The possibility of civil unrest erupting there was very, very high. However, these places had fewer people, so in reality, after a period of chaos and the death of a batch of people, things would settle down.

Henan had a large population. If large-scale civil unrest erupted, Henan would be the key of keys. If Henan's population dropped to a range that the land could support, and if Henan did not fall into chaos and the hearts of the people were not lost, then the civil unrest could be blocked within the Tongguan Pass.

This looked exceptionally cruel. Are the people in the hinterland people, but the people in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui are not?

Wang Guoguang also explained it very clearly: the imperial court's primary consideration is the survival of the state. This is the final fallback measure. When there is truly no other way and no strategy left, the civil unrest must be controlled within a certain range.

"A few days ago, Junior Grand Secretary Ling

came to visit this subject. He served as Provincial Governor in Henan, and he feels that this memorial of mine is feasible." Wang Guoguang told His Majesty the Emperor that Junior Grand Secretary Ling had also read and revised this memorial. If Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui truly fell into chaos, the imperial court must be prepared to cut off the arm to save the body.

"It will not reach that step. The Great Ming will not have a day where it must cut off its arm to save its body. As long as I am alive, I guarantee that day will not come." Zhu Yijun made a solemn promise to Wang Guoguang.

If the celestial changes continued to worsen and there were signs of great chaos, Zhu Yijun would turn his blade inward, first killing all the powerful and wealthy families and the local gentry, and then launching a thorough equal-field system in Shaanxi, Gansu, and Sui.

Sacrificing one region to preserve the overall situation—it is fundamentally impossible to preserve the overall situation that way.