Inside the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
Chongzhen was thinking about whether there were any flaws in reusing the Li brothers.
Li Xingzhong and his entire family and even the entire clan were in the capital, being "protected" by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
The possibility of rebellion and surrender to the enemy is almost zero.
Of course he knew the principle of not employing people you doubt.
But the higher the position and the greater the power, the easier it is to be suspicious of others.
This is inevitable.
Coupled with the civil officials fanning the flames, the emperor could easily be misled into doing something unreasonable.
While he was thinking about it, Wang Chengen, who was standing beside him, asked in a low voice: "Is the emperor afraid that Li Xingzhong will become powerful?"
Chongzhen nodded and said nothing.
"Then why doesn't Your Majesty find a few more generals to recruit soldiers separately?"
"Not appropriate. First, it will easily leak information, and second, it will affect combat effectiveness."
"Combat effectiveness?" Wang Chengen didn't understand.
Chongzhen said slowly: "Yes, whether it is the Battle of Sarhu, the Battle of Songjin, or the Battle of Zhuxian Town with the bandits. In terms of strength, our army is not weak. The reason for the defeat is that the reinforcements were put together at short notice, with many internal contradictions and did not obey the commander's orders."
"If we fight alone, we can still win the battle, but if we get together, it will be impossible. We are suspicious of each other and don't trust each other. It's strange that we can't win!"
Chongzhen once used ten words to summarize the Ming border troops: when they are together they are a pile of shit; when they are scattered they are a sky full of stars.
"Then..." Wang Chengen thought for a moment and said, "The emperor hasn't sent a military supervisor yet. Li Xingzhong has recruited tens of thousands of soldiers. We must be on guard."
Military supervisor?
Chongzhen felt a little embarrassed when he heard this word.
Should this military supervisor be sent?
If you send someone, it is easy to give wrong commands, abuse the soldiers, and even cause mutiny (refer to Gao Huai's rebellion in Liao).
Don't send it. A general who leads troops for a long time will tend to become arrogant and self-centered.
Mentality does not change overnight, but changes slowly over time and through experience.
In order to give Li Xingzhong a reminder, it is necessary to send a military supervisor.
Soon, Chongzhen summoned the eunuchs he trusted to his side.
"I have several requirements for you to serve as Li Xingzhong's military supervisor: one, you are not allowed to touch the military pay; two, you are not allowed to command battles; three, you are not allowed to beat or scold the soldiers. You only need to write down what you see and hear and send it to the palace."
"I understand, Your Majesty, don't worry."
"Okay, go ahead."
Before the eunuch supervising the army had gone far, Zhou Kui, the Earl of Jiading, arrived.
Zhou Kui began his performance when he was still a dozen steps away from the gate of the Palace of Heavenly Purity.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, save me!"
As Zhou Kui spoke, tears couldn't stop flowing from the corners of his eyes.
"What's wrong with the father-in-law?" Chongzhen pretended to be ignorant.
Zhou Kui stumbled into the Palace of Heavenly Purity, then fell to his knees with a thud: "Woo woo, the method of making fine salt that I just bought from Your Majesty for 500,000 taels of silver has been leaked."
"There are only three or four salt shops on the market now, and I have put all my wealth into them."
"Your Majesty, please help me."
The word "being in charge" mentioned by Zhou Kui has two meanings.
Chongzhen had to either help him crack down on other salt merchants or return the money to him.
Chongzhen laughed secretly: Return the money?
No way!
He walked quickly to Zhou Kui and helped him up with his own hands: "Father-in-law, please don't do such a big ceremony. Get up quickly."
Zhou Kui cried and said, "Your Majesty, please help me."
"Don't worry, father-in-law. I will definitely make the decision for you."
After hearing this, Zhou Kui stopped crying immediately and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes as quickly as possible.
Chongzhen began to ask: "Father-in-law, do those merchants selling fine salt have salt permits?"
"Yes..." Zhou Kui said halfway and immediately changed his words: "No!"
"So is there or not?"
"They have salt permits, but no salt permits for fine salt. Didn't Your Majesty say a few days ago that you would get a set of salt permits for fine salt?" Zhou Kui's memory was as good as ever.
Chongzhen sighed, "I have discussed this matter with the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue, and they disagree. They say that fine salt is also salt, and the previous salt permits should include the sale of fine salt. Even if I forcibly issue an order to increase the fine salt permits, it will be rejected."
The Ming Dynasty cabinet had the power to reject orders that it deemed unreasonable.
"This...this...are the Cabinet and the Ministry of Revenue still the government offices of the Ming Dynasty? How can they do this!" Zhou Kui looked indignant.
Chongzhen followed with anger: "Yes, I am also angry. Father-in-law, why don't you help me talk to the Ministry of Revenue and the Cabinet and let them agree with my idea."
"Your Majesty, I don't want to see them!" When the Ministry of Revenue was mentioned, Zhou Kui immediately became obedient.
After the case of Yangwu Hou Xue Lian was closed, the Ministry of Revenue asked Shuntian Prefecture to settle the accounts of the land occupied by the nobles in the capital and the taxes owed.
He doesn't even have time to hide, let alone offer himself to others.
Chongzhen looked regretful when he saw this and said, "Then I can do nothing to help you."
Zhou Kui stood there, feeling like a sucker.
I just spent half a million to buy the method of making fine salt, and then the method was leaked.
Although fine salt is still on sale, the price has dropped significantly.
Chongzhen looked at Zhou Kui, who was in tears, and laughed secretly in his heart.
There is no such thing as intellectual property these days. If there is a leak, you can only blame yourself for being careless.
After Zhou Kui calmed down, Chongzhen got down to business: "Father-in-law, I have two deals for you."
Zhou Kui was happy at first, but then he said with a sad face: "Your Majesty, my family is really out of money, so please don't worry about my family assets."
Chongzhen coughed lightly to hide his inner embarrassment: "What are you talking about, father-in-law? When have I ever thought about your family assets? Now there is indeed a deal, the kind that is large in quantity and full in quantity."
"Oh?" Zhou Kui stared at Chongzhen with suspicion, trying to find clues from his eyes.
Chongzhen was as steady as an old dog and did not reveal any flaws.
"Please...please let me know, Your Majesty." Zhou Kui couldn't suppress his inner restlessness and asked after a struggle.
Chongzhen told Zhou Kui all about Li Xingzhong's need for war horses and food.
Looking at the entire Ming Dynasty, no one is more suitable for doing this than Zhou Kui.
The sale of war horses, food and fodder, and the transportation of military supplies all involve secrets.
Zhou Kui was a businessman and also Chongzhen's father-in-law. He would not leak such information.
After listening to Chongzhen's plan, Zhou Kui fell into deep thought for a rare time.
There is no problem with supplying food and fodder. That stuff can be bought as long as the price is right.
Transporting weapons and armor was not a big problem. As long as he got a pass from the Ministry of War, he could travel freely throughout the Ming Dynasty.
The only problem is the warhorse!
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