Chapter 720 The tragedy caused by going to the toilet
Although Shandong repeatedly threatened to cut off the canal, which caused great distress to the Ming Dynasty. However, compared with cutting off the Yangtze River, the harm caused could only be considered trivial.
Although the canal was the life artery of the Ming Dynasty, it was really cut off. The Ming Dynasty could still transport resources to the north from other directions.
Although the cost of land transportation is huge, it can still be maintained to some extent.
But the Yangtze River was cut off, which meant that the wealth in Jiangnan had nothing to do with the Ming Dynasty.
Jiangnan is rich and prosperous, and Su Song accounts for two-thirds of it.
Now that Songjiang Prefecture was captured by Shandong, Suzhou Prefecture was also on the verge of war, causing the entire Jiangnan to come to a standstill.
This time it really cost the life of the Ming Dynasty.
After all, when the canal was cut off, it only cut off the route; when Jiangnan was cut off, it cut off the source.
In the Jinluan Hall, the monarchs and ministers gathered, but they could not come up with any solution.
"Can Shandong really capture the south of the Yangtze River?"
Chongzhen still held on to the possibility of luck.
Zhang Fengyi decided to let him recognize the reality.
"Master Zheng (Zheng Sanjun) has said that Shandong Zuoni wants to send an additional 40,000 troops to the south of the Yangtze River. If he does this, he is afraid that the south of the Yangtze River will not be protected."
Nowadays, the Ming court has already reached a consensus and knows that Shandong's soldiers and horses are the best in the world, even better than those of Hou Jin Dynasty.
With tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, Hou Jin could crisscross the capital and intimidate the capital.
This is also the center of the Ming Dynasty, where elites gather.
However, the military preparations in Jiangnan have been depleted for a long time. If the Shandong New Army really wants to start a war, I am afraid that Jiangnan will not be able to survive for three months.
The only way is to compromise.
But this humiliation was difficult for Chongzhen to accept, and the words of peace talks could never come out of his mouth.
The situation was at a standstill.
After the court meeting ended, various civil and military officials gathered in front of Wen Tiren.
Nowadays, partisanship is no longer a concern.
Once Jiangnan is not protected, everyone will be finished.
"Prime Minister Wen, no matter what, we can't engage in a dispute of will this time!"
"Without Jiangnan's finances and taxes, the imperial court will not be able to survive for a day. By then, you and I will both be ministers of the country's subjugation, and the infamy will come from Qing Dynasty. Who can bear it?"
The ministers' words to you and mine have only one meaning, and that is to persuade Wen Tiren to persuade Chongzhen to agree to Shandong's conditions.
But Wen Tiren just kept silent.
Although he knew that the situation was critical, Wen Tiren knew even more clearly that once he came out like this, all the blame would be on him.
No matter how unimportant the Ming Dynasty was, he did not want to be the scapegoat.
The court officials froze, and Chongzhen, who returned to the harem, had a hard time.
He walked all the way in silence, thinking about it all the way, but couldn't find any solution. The fire was stagnant, and his stomach was rolling like thunder.
Hearing him cough twice, Wang Chengen understood and immediately made arrangements.
Chongzhen returned to his residence and turned around to go behind the screen. The incense bucket had already been prepared.
He sat upright and immediately felt a little squirming, finally feeling a little more comfortable.
The little eunuch who was waiting on the side came forward and started cleaning him up.
But just after wiping it, Chongzhen immediately frowned.
"Asshole! How dare you do this?"
When he turned around, he saw that the toilet paper used by the little eunuch was very different from the past.
It's shoddy and shoddy and definitely not something the royal family would use.
The two young eunuchs were frightened to death by his anger and fell to their knees one after another, kowtowing and begging for mercy.
Wang Chengen came in after hearing the news and didn't know what happened.
"You are a slave who does not know how to live or die, even if you offend Tian Yan. Come on, drag him down and beat him to death!"
But Chongzhen stopped him and pointed at the toilet paper in the hands of the two young eunuchs.
"My lord, the people in the palace are becoming more and more unruly. How dare you use such vulgar things to deceive me. Check carefully and you will not be lenient."
Wang Chengen learned that the reason turned out to be toilet paper, and then he realized that he had been wronged.
After hesitating several times, he finally spoke.
"Your Majesty, when it comes to this matter, I can't blame the slaves."
Unexpectedly, Wang Chengen would defend himself, and Chongzhen was greatly surprised.
"Is there anything I don't understand about it?"
Wang Chengen had no choice but to bite the bullet and tell the reason.
"Everything the Emperor used in the past was produced in Sichuan. However, now that the Yangtze River is blocked and transportation is interrupted, even these things cannot be supplied. I have no choice but to come up with this strategy. If the Emperor wants to blame me, blame me for doing this.
It’s not good.”
After hearing the reason, Chongzhen couldn't help but feel dizzy.
Although he had known for a long time that cutting off the Yangtze River would have a huge impact, he never expected that he would not be able to feel comfortable even if he committed suicide.
It turns out that the toilet paper used by the emperors of the Ming Dynasty was made from wild silkworms in Sichuan spinning cocoons and then woven into silk. Each piece is the size of ordinary toilet paper, soft, silky and very comfortable.
Every time the emperor went to the toilet, he would use this thing to wipe his buttocks.
Originally, during the reign of Emperor Hongzhi, because of the preciousness of this item, he was afraid of extravagance and waste, so he issued an order to stop paying tribute.
However, the local people in Sichuan wrote a letter saying that this product was related to the livelihood of the local people. Emperor Hongzhi was deceived and resumed supply.
This tradition has been continued and has never been noticed by people.
But this time Shandong cut off the Yangtze River, and the toilet paper sent as tribute from Sichuan could not be sent to the capital through waterways, which actually affected the emperor's use of the toilet.
Unable to even go to the toilet comfortably, Chongzhen finally felt the danger of the Yangtze River being blocked.
And the humiliation contained in it made him furious.
"Pass the decree! Songjiang Magistrate Fang Yuegong did not get the decree, started provocations without permission, and even harmed the people. His crime is unforgivable and he is sentenced to death. All other conspirators will be arrested!"
Wang Chengen was stunned, not expecting that Chongzhen would make a sudden decision.
He was afraid that Chongzhen would make a mistake in his anger, and just as he was about to issue a warning, he was met with Chongzhen's raging anger, and he immediately woke up.
"This slave obeys your order."
Wang Chengen hurriedly went to deliver the order, and Chongzhen, who was left alone, stared at the gray sky and muttered something.
[Today we will cut five cities, and tomorrow we will cut ten cities, and then we will have to sleep overnight. We will look around the surrounding areas, and the Qin soldiers have arrived again...]
When he read "On the Six Kingdoms" in the past, he often lamented the stupidity of the princes of the Six Kingdoms, and even warned himself not to imitate him.
But today, he finally understood.
The monarchs of the Six Kingdoms are not necessarily stupid.
The situation is like this, what should we do?
Soon Chongzhen's imperial edict was handed over from the palace and sent to the Sixth Section.
The ministers colluded and discussed repeatedly, but they could not find a way to make Chongzhen express his position, but they did not expect that the result would come so quickly.
After seeing this decree, everyone understood that Chongzhen still gave in.
It's just that Fang Yuegong became the scapegoat.
As for Xu Erxuan and other conspirators...
Although the decree stated that all of them were to be apprehended without any punishment, Shandong's conditions stated that these people should be handed over to Shandong for processing.
Chongzhen didn't say it out loud, but everyone knew what to do.
Although Chongzhen has been constantly cheating on his ministers since he ascended the throne, this time Fang Yuegong also became the scapegoat.
But unlike in the past, this time no one complained for Fang Yuegong, and no one felt that what Chongzhen did was wrong.
Who told you, Fang Yuegong, to find trouble to deal with the Xu family and cause such a big trouble?
Everything was fine originally.
The people in Songjiang Prefecture are good-natured and don't make trouble, and they pay the right amount of taxes.
The imperial court also turned a blind eye and maintained a delicate balance.
As a result, this smelly and tough Fang Yuegong provoked a storm, causing even Jiangnan to lose its security.
If I don't look for you, who else can I look for?
The entire court reached a consensus for the first time.
The imperial edict traveled south quickly, supporting the court's last hope.