Chapter 73 The End: A Rope. Will the TV be returned...?

Jiang Ge leaned against the sycamore tree, tapping his teacup lightly with his fingertips, and looked at Wei Zhongxian working in the brick kiln in the distance, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"If you want to know how the Ming Dynasty fell?" She took a sip of tea, her voice cool and detached, "It's like this cup of tea—it looks cold, but it was actually rotten from the root."

She counted them one by one on her slender fingers:

"Firstly, the silver was all stagnating in cellars in Jiangnan. When Zhang Juzheng implemented the Single Whip Law, who could have imagined that later officials would be able to manipulate tax revenue so skillfully? A textile bureau in Suzhou had an annual income of one million taels on paper, but only 30% was actually collected—the rest was burned away by 'fire loss'."

The teacup slammed heavily, startling the sparrows on the treetops.

"Secondly, soldiers are poorer than beggars. The garrison system you designed was already rotten by the Chongzhen era. A thousand-household garrison in Liaodong had eight hundred soldiers on the register, but less than two hundred actually lived—and even those two hundred had to farm and carry sedan chairs for the general's mansion." She sneered, "When the Manchus invade, even the musketeers of the Ming Dynasty will have to pay for their own gunpowder."

Django squinted:

"Thirdly, and this is what you hate the most—officials who don't act like officials. During the Tianqi era, a county magistrate who didn't amass 100,000 taels of silver in three years was considered to be incompetent in his official duties. When Li Zicheng entered Beijing, Emperor Chongzhen's private treasury only had 70,000 taels left, but Zhou Kui, the emperor's father-in-law, alone had 3 million taels of silver unearthed from his cellar."

She suddenly lowered her voice, as if telling a huge joke:

"The Ming Dynasty started with a bowl and ended with a rope. Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself on Coal Hill, and the only person who accompanied him in the end was a eunuch named Wang Chengen—all the high-ranking officials ran faster than rabbits."

A sycamore leaf drifted into the teacup, and Jiang Ge gently picked it out:

"So you see, what is Wei Zhongxian? He's just the fattest termite on a rotten tree. Even without him, this tree, whose roots are rotten to the core, would fall sooner or later."

The fall of the Ming Dynasty was no different from that of any other feudal dynasty in history. Systemic flaws, military defeats, natural disasters and man-made calamities, and of course, the folly of those in power.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang was unwilling to face this fact. This vague reason was merely a distraction from Zhu Yuanzhang's anger. Only the specific treacherous minister Wei Zhongxian was in front of him, and he could vent his anger on him.

Zhu Yuanzhang remained silent for a long time, but when he saw Wei Zhongxian, he kicked him again.

"Castrated dog!"

Wei Zhongxian, who was working diligently but still got kicked: ? ? ?

As the sun set, it was time to finish work, and everyone gathered together to wait for Zhu Yuanzhang to return.

As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang stepped into the office, several pairs of eyes stared at him.

I didn't expect these celebrities to give Old Zhu so much face. Is it because we haven't seen each other in a long time?

However, there was another celebrity he admired. That person had clear features and a composed demeanor. Even though he was just standing quietly, he had an air of profound and majestic presence.

Old Zhu paused, squinted at the man for a moment, then suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice booming:

"What a 'Sleeping Dragon'! We've often heard people say, 'Zhuge Kongming, a genius of the world,' and seeing him today, it's truly well-deserved!"

I didn't have time to say hello this morning, but I definitely need to have a good chat with Zhuge Liang now.

Zhuge Liang turned around at the sound of his voice. Zhu Yuanzhang, with his square face and broad forehead, walked with a powerful gait. Though dressed in rough clothes, he exuded the aura of a founding emperor. He lightly waved his feather fan, smiled, and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"I am but a humble villager, how dare I accept the Emperor's undeserved praise? It is Your Majesty who, with your three-foot sword, established the dynasty, and is the true hero."

Zhu Yuanzhang's story had already been recounted by Yuchi Jingde and others; his journey from beggar to founding emperor was truly legendary.

Even Zhuge Liang had to admire him.

Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hand dismissively: "Enough with the empty talk! I hate scholars showing off their erudition—your 'farming and grain production, closing the country to let the people rest' policy when you governed Shu, I slapped my thigh in dismay!" He then lowered his voice, "However… your six expeditions to Qishan depleted the nation's resources, and we have to talk to you about that."

Zhuge Liang's feather fan paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before he chuckled, "Your Majesty is indeed straightforward."

Upon arriving in Songyang County, no one else dared to mention these matters in front of Zhuge Liang. If failure is history, then not reopening someone else's wounds is also a form of kindness.

"Hey!" Zhu Yuanzhang slapped his thigh. "That's right, I'm a straightforward person. I say what I mean!" He sat down on the stool with a flourish, making the teacups on the table jump. "If you ask me, when you wrote 'Yizhou is exhausted' in your 'Memorial on the Expedition,' you should have known that the Northern Expedition was not the right time!"

Zhuge Liang was not annoyed by this. Instead, he gently placed his feather fan on the table and said, "Your Majesty is wise. However..." He looked at the distant horizon where clouds were rolling and unfolding, "If we had not gone out of Qishan at that time and had waited for Cao Wei to grow stronger, I'm afraid Shu Han would have perished even faster."

Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his short beard and suddenly burst into laughter: "Well done, Zhuge Kongming! You've hit the nail on the head—just like when we fought Chen Youliang, we knew we were outnumbered but we still had to fight!" He leaned closer, still carrying the smell of smoke from the brick kiln, "But your mistake was being too serious! If only you learned from me, old Zhu, and knew when to back down..."

Shrink back?

Wouldn't that be learning from Sima Yi?

Zhuge Liang shook his head slightly; constantly hiding his head was not a solution.

Zhu Yuanzhang, with a mysterious air, tugged at Zhuge Liang's sleeve and said, "Let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart, which could be considered a secret to becoming a founding emperor." His voice didn't soften: "Store up grain, delay declaring yourself king, and build high walls!"

Zhuge Liang's gaze sharpened. These three sentences, though seemingly simple, subtly embodied the essence of military strategy. He couldn't help but scrutinize the commoner emperor before him—his dark face was deeply lined with wrinkles, marks etched by time and war; his rough palms were calloused, yet exuded an undeniable strength.

He looked no different from a wealthy old farmer, yet he could utter such philosophical words.

"Your Majesty's words..." Zhuge Liang lightly waved his feather fan, his eyes gleaming, "remind me of the Longzhong Plan back then..."

"Hey!" Zhu Yuanzhang slammed his hand on the stone table, making the teacups clatter. "I'm so annoyed by you scholars always bringing up the past!" He suddenly lowered his voice, his hot breath brushing against Zhuge Liang's ear. "Let me ask you, if you could do it all over again, would you still insist on fighting to the death in that godforsaken place of Qishan?"

As the setting sun cast its dappled shadows, Zhuge Liang gently brushed his fan aside and suddenly smiled. "If I could do it all over again..." His gaze passed over Zhu Yuanzhang, as if looking towards a distant time and space, "I might take Liangzhou first."

"That's right!" Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly stood up, startling everyone else who couldn't help but look openly. "That's more like it! Xiliang is known for its horses. With cavalry, what's there to fear from Cao Wei?"

It's easy to be wise after the event.

Later generations can learn from past wars and historical cases, but our predecessors cannot.

Zhuge Liang remained silent for a long time, then suddenly thought of something.

"Your Majesty, could we please return that television set?"

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Author's Note: Sorry, the word count is a bit low. I need to adjust my mood. [Chin resting on hand]