On June 29, the 21st year of Chongzhen, news of the navy's great victory reached the capital.

Chongzhen was very happy and ordered that one hundred sheep sent by the Mongols plus some silver be given as rewards to the navy.

After the Mongols failed to gain any advantage in their several expeditions southwards, the various tribes began to change their previous strategy of robbing by force.

The first is the Khalkha tribe in the northern desert.

They sent envoys directly to present tribute, hoping to further expand trade with the Ming Dynasty.

The one hundred sheep used as a reward for the navy were sent by them from afar, along with cattle and war horses.

Although the quantity is not large, it is sincere.

Although the Ordos and Xitumed tribes did not send envoys to pay tribute, they sent cattle and sheep to the border troops, hoping that they would convey a message to the court requesting the development of border trade.

The Chahar tribe of Mongolia was in a terrible situation.

Not only did they lose the battle, but they also lost a lot of people, cattle, sheep and other supplies.

Their top leaders did not dare to have any dealings with the Ming Dynasty, but the herdsmen under them kept running to the border for trade.

Abunai, the leader of the Chahar tribe, turned a blind eye and pretended not to see it.

He cannot defeat the herders, and if he does not allow them to exchange for food, he as the leader will face a crisis of trust.

The Khorchin and Dong Tumed tribes were relatively close to the Jiannu, so they couldn't do business with the Ming Dynasty and could only watch.

"Your Majesty, will the Jiannu increase their investment in the navy?" Wang Chengen asked after he memorized the contents of the decree.

Chongzhen shook his head slowly.

He was not sure whether the Jiannu would engage in an arms race in the navy.

An arms race would be best.

He also has a way to avoid the competition. When there is nothing to do, he can let the navy go to southern Liaoning.

When huge warships and black gun muzzles appeared on the shore, wouldn't the Jiannu have a headache?

How can you not be fooled?

This is an open conspiracy. Even if the Jiannu guessed the truth, they would have to bite the bullet and increase the investment in the navy.

"Tell Yuan Shu to go to southern Liaoning once a month. If there are ships, attack them. If there are no ships, conduct a small-scale landing attack."

"After landing, we will only kill the Jiannu, not occupy the land."

"When the Eight Banners soldiers come, they run away. When the Eight Banners soldiers withdraw, they come again, making them run around in a hurry."

"I obey your command." Wang Chengen picked up the pen and wrote it down quickly.

After arranging these things, Chongzhen got up and went back to the harem to rest.

Boom boom boom.

There were hurried footsteps outside the hall.

Chongzhen looked up and saw a little eunuch running towards him in small steps.

When he arrived at the palace gate, he raised his hands high, knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sent this urgent message from Nanjing six hundred miles away."

"Read." Chongzhen put his hands behind his back, having a bad feeling.

In order not to affect transportation capacity, under normal circumstances, the correspondence between Chongzhen and the prince did not need to be expedited.

Now the prince had obviously encountered big trouble by sending the letter at an express speed of 600 miles.

Wang Chengen hurriedly took the letter, opened it and read it: "The case of the mining is complicated and involves an official appointed by the court. I dare not neglect it, so I ordered the eunuch Qiu Zhizhong to go to Yangzhou Prefecture to investigate the case. Qiu Zhizhong accidentally fell into the water and drowned while taking a boat to Yangzhou Prefecture."

Having read this, Wang Chengen stopped and glanced at Chongzhen's expression out of the corner of his eye.

Chongzhen was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud: "Falling into the water and drowning... Haha, interesting, really interesting!"

The scene of falling into water might not be common in other dynasties, but it was very common in the Ming Dynasty.

According to official history, two emperors of the Ming Dynasty fell into the water and eventually died.

The first one is Zhu Houzhao, the Emperor Wuzong of the Ming Dynasty.

The second is Chongzhen’s elder brother, Ming Xizong Zhu Youjiao.

I've traveled through time, so why are those people in the South still using this trick?

"Keep reading!" Chongzhen snorted coldly and ordered.

Wang Chengen swallowed and continued reading the letter.

The letter is very long and contains a lot of content.

Qiu Zhizhong, who was ordered to investigate the case, caused an uproar in Nanjing because his death was too strange and the timing of his death was very sensitive.

The "Qingliu" led by Ma Shiying accused the murderer of being Huang Zongxi, Zhang Huangyan or someone behind them.

Who else could be behind them?

It’s Shi Kefa, the Nanjing Minister of War!

Shi Kefa had no choice but to fight back, saying that he had nothing to do with the matter and hinting that Ma Shiying was crying thief.

Zhu Cilang was unable to tell who was right and who was wrong, so he could only temporarily put aside their personal grudges and planned to send people to Yangzhou Prefecture to reinvestigate the case.

But no official in the Nanjing court dared to investigate the case.

If you don't go, you will be fine. But if you go, you might die.

The invisible black hand struck fear into everyone, including Zhu Cilang.

Even the Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty felt frightened, and the officials in Nanjing who were unaware of the situation were even more panicked.

They ordered the servants to lock the gate before nightfall and arranged for people to guard it all night.

When he got up early to attend court, he asked the soldiers from the five cities of Nanjing to follow him for protection, otherwise he would ask for leave and rest.

Some even went so far as to live in the government office, claiming that they had died in the line of duty for their country.

Zhu Cilang intended not to investigate the matter, but the impact of the incident was too great and involved several court officials.

If we don’t investigate thoroughly, we won’t be able to explain to the officials and the people.

Zhu Cilang had no choice but to write a letter to Chongzhen for help.

After reading the contents of the letter, Wang Chengen quietly placed the letter on the dragon desk, intending to leave quietly so as not to disturb Chongzhen's thoughts.

"Wang Chengen." Chongzhen suddenly spoke.

"I'm here!" Wang Chengen was startled and answered while hunching over.

"Ask the Minister of Personnel Qiu Yu to come over."

"I will send someone to deliver the letter right away."

Not long after, the Minister of Personnel of the Ming Dynasty hurried into the hall.

After seeing Chongzhen's solemn expression, Qiu Yu felt a sinking feeling in his heart, thinking that the official he recommended had committed a crime.

This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!