Moreover, even when it comes to command, he might not necessarily be stronger than Shi Kefa.
After all, he didn't rely on better equipment to output damage when leading troops in battle; it was either.. or it was just luck.
It is better to let Shi Kefa perform to his full potential.
Zhu Ci's only instruction to Shi Kefa was to try his best to win over Han soldiers and grassroots officers—noting that he meant ordinary soldiers and grassroots officers, not the great generals.
Although these people surrendered to the Qing Army, most of them were simply following the tide. In these chaotic times, if someone leads them and promises them a way to survive and a way to eat, they will certainly follow.
As for things like integrity or national backbone.. there is a saying: "Only when the granaries are full does one know honor and disgrace."
Zhu Ci was still very tolerant toward these people.
He also instructed Liu Zhaoji and He Gang to do the same. Whenever the two armies were facing each other but not actively engaged in combat, they would send people to sing songs, specifically the songs from the soldiers' hometowns.
What? These soldiers' hometowns are different?
Anyway, most of them were soldiers from the south. There were only a few representative songs from each region, it wasn't like the era of the modern-day creative explosion, so they just took turns singing them. Eventually, one would inevitably evoke a sense of nostalgia for home.
Not only did he take turns singing, but he also had people cook meals and bone soup, then he added some promotion on top of that.
Actually, these are all old-fashioned tactics that countless people have used across this land for thousands of years.
But it is so useful!
It was useful back when there was no distinction between ethnic groups, let alone now.
Would the Manchus treat the Han people well? How could they?
What the Manchus fear most right now is the Han people uniting; their numbers are too small. Forget ruling the entire country—even ruling the entire North right now is somewhat of a struggle for them.
Therefore, they will only treat those surrendering civil officials and generals well—well, even that "kindness" is only temporary.
Once the world is unified, many of the surrendered generals will begin to rebel again. Do they just like fighting for no reason? Of course, it is because the Manchus will have begun to cast aside those who served them.
Zhu Ci did not bother to judge which side was better or worse; in any case, neither side was anything good to him in his current state.
Therefore, the high-ranking officers were no longer needed; if they returned, they would only face execution by him. However, the lower-ranking ones, such as squad leaders and group leaders, could still be accepted.
The effect was also quite good. Even though they belonged to the same military camp, the Han people had suffered much oppression; many could only endure it, but now that they had another way out, they steeled their hearts and surrendered.
As a result, many small squads of five or ten people crept over to the Ming Army's side under the cover of night.
The Ming Army was also very generous; anyone who arrived was first given a full meal. Even if there was no meat to eat, they were certainly given a sip of meat broth or bone soup.
By this stage, there was basically nothing left to say; the Ming soldiers who had slipped away in secret immediately felt at ease.
Zhu Ci was very satisfied with this result. It didn't matter if few people fled at first; as long as some started running, more and more would follow.
Li Chengdong was very unhappy on the side of the Qing Army, because the people under his command were also constantly fleeing, which truly caused him to lose face.
After all, even if he were the commander-in-chief, the Qing Army would not allow him to lead a route alone with complete confidence; instead, they sent others to stay by his side to "assist" him.
When calculated carefully, aside from one or two of Li Chengdong's confidants who could hold deputy positions, almost all other important positions were already occupied by Manchus.
As his subordinates continued to flee, Li Chengdong was mocked multiple times by the Manchu generals, in the end, he could only grit his teeth and issue the order: "Pass down the order: discussing the actions of the Pseudo-Ming is strictly forbidden. Anyone who attempts to desert shall be killed on sight!"
By not even allowing them to speak, if no one discusses it, the army's morale won't be destabilized; it could be considered a method.
But Li Chengdong forgot that the higher the pressure, the easier it is to cause dissatisfaction.
Perhaps it wasn't that he forgot, but rather that he had no other choice.
The conditions on the Ming army's side also left him puzzled.
From what he knew, the Pseudo-Ming's territory was very small, at least small compared to the Qing Army, after all the turmoil, there might not even be much grain; at most, it was being sustained by the Marquis of Huating alone.
Although the Marquis of Huating is a wealthy merchant, even he wouldn't be able to tolerate the Pseudo-Ming Emperor being so extravagant, would he?
Facing the Manchu general's questioning, Li Chengdong analyzed and said, "The Pseudo-Ming Emperor is nothing but a child with a loud mouth; he understands neither governance nor military command. As long as we can stall for some time, the Pseudo-Ming will surely collapse from within! Besides this, we can also arrange for some people to infiltrate the Pseudo-Ming court!"
As for why they were going in, it was, of course, to perform their old trade: sowing discord.
Li Chengdong's analysis made the Manchu generals feel it was very reasonable. They certainly did not doubt Li Chengdong's leadership skills, so since they were stalling.. they might as well continue stalling. As long as there were no large-scale engagements with the Ming army, the opposition would not be willing to use their best firearms, their casualties would not be high.
Moreover, most of those currently stationed in Suzhou are Li Chengdong's subordinates; the common soldiers are all Han people, the Manchu are all officers. What is there for them to worry about?
In fact, not only did Li Chengdong feel that the Great Ming's military supplies might not keep up, but even Huang Chunyao, Zhu Ci, even Chen Zilong had begun to worry.
Although the Ministry of Revenue was under Fu's control, military expenditures and other expenses were transparent; at least, the Censorate was aware of them.
As a supervisory agency, these expenditures were to be summarized every month and reported to the Censorate; only after the Censorate confirmed there were no errors would they approve the allocation of funds.
Huang Chunyao looked at the massive expenditures and truly could not help himself; he rushed to the Grand Secretariat's office, only to find it completely empty upon entering. After inquiring, he learned that their Grand Secretary had called in sick.
Huang Chunyao..
When on earth will the Grand Secretariat finally have a few more people? It's simply not sustainable to keep working around the clock with just one sick man!
Huang Chunyao certainly wanted to fill the Grand Secretariat immediately, but the problem was that His Majesty the Emperor was fighting wars out in the field and refused to return!
Huang Chunyao felt as if he had aged five years the moment he returned to the Censorate.
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Author's Note: Zhu Ci: There's no war that doesn't burn through money. Fu hasn't even said anything yet, I'm also making money! *Cat seriously pulls out a gold ingot. jpg*
Next update tomorrow at six in the morning~
Chapter 117
“Marquis, it seems Censor Huang is looking for you.”
Fu continued to wear the gray crystal eyeglasses that Zhu Ci had given him, while pruning the flower branches, he said casually, "No meeting."
Lu Zheng immediately responded. After he left, the steward took the shears from Fu's hands and asked, "Marquis, Censor Huang must have something important to discuss. Are you truly not going to see him?"
Fu turned back and sat at the tea table under the corridor, saying, "I know why he is looking for me; I can't be bothered to waste words with him."
Huang Chunyao had only two reasons for seeking him: first, for military supplies, second, to have him persuade the Little Emperor to return.
Coincidentally, he didn't want to respond to either of those two matters.
Although the military supplies were a major expense, Fu Chunsheng had it under control; under his coordination, although things were a bit tight, it was still manageable.
Especially since winter wheat has now entered its ripening stage and the finances are a bit more relaxed than before, why then should expenditures be reduced?
As the saying goes, the highest form of warfare is to strike the enemy's strategy; the next best is to strike their alliances; the next is to attack their armies; and the lowest is to attack their cities.
Who says winning people's hearts isn't a form of diplomacy?
As for whether the finances would become tight as the number of people increased, Fu was not worried. His current various deployments could still hold up, he felt that Zhu Ci should also have an idea of the situation.
As for making the Little Emperor return to the capital, that was even more unthinkable, he would not attempt to persuade him.
The Little Emperor was too young; he had just turned fifteen this year, which in the countryside meant he was only just old enough to be used as a laborer.
At this age, it was certainly no exaggeration to call him a young ruler, but what did a young ruler represent? It meant that all power was held in the hands of the court officials.
To suppress those ministers, one must excel in either literary or martial prowess.
Literary strategy.. It is hard to tell anything just yet. The Little Emperor's level is extremely unpredictable; it is as if after the previous imperial edict was issued, it did attract quite a few voices of approval, though of course, those with the loudest voices were certainly still protesting.
After all, of the civil and military officials who have survived until now, how many have not fled without a fight?
All those who truly resisted the Qing Army have been killed. The Little Emperor's imperial decree not only insulted Liu Liangzuo and Hu Maozhen, but it also stripped away these men's last shred of dignity; they would be anything but happy.
His reputation was already quite poor, so he might as well use military achievements to suppress them.
Zhu Ci has battle achievements, but they are not enough; he needs more. It would be best if he could take Xuzhou, but if he cannot.. then he will have no choice but to head west.
Once he had military merits to protect him, the group of military officers who followed Zhu Ci to conquer the world would naturally protect him.
Currently, there are no aristocratic families in the imperial court; someone like Huang Chunyao doesn't even come close to being part of an aristocratic family. Under these circumstances, the more military merit Zhu Ci possesses, the more deterrent power he will have.
However, Fu Chunsheng was somewhat puzzled. Zhu Ci had never been a spendthrift before; what was the source of his confidence to spend money so recklessly now?
He soon found out, because he received news that a fleet had returned to Liujiagang, led by Zhu Ying, besides a small amount of goods, everything else brought back was silver.
It was roughly estimated to be as much as tens of thousands of taels.
This amount did not seem like much to Fu Chunsheng, but he knew Zhu Ying; previously, this man was merely a leader of the Canal Gang and not worth much of his attention; he did not even know when Zhu Ying had set sail.
Thinking about it now, it must have been during the period when the imperial court had just established its framework, the Little Emperor took advantage of the management loopholes to let Zhu Ying lead people out to sea.
If it were today, with most of the various regulations and statutes already organized, obtaining a permit to go to sea would not be such an easy task.
After all, the Great Ming had long maintained a blockade on the customs, private fleets were not permitted to go to sea, with the exception of official vessels.
Of course, even if it is not allowed, smuggling cannot be stopped.
Fu Chunsheng lightly swirled his teacup, sipping it slowly as he said with a hint of a sigh, "It seems it is time to go on duty."
With these tens of thousands of taels of silver coming in, even Huang Chunyao could say nothing about it.
Of course, all this money belongs to the Emperor himself, but the Little Emperor has one great quality: he leads by example. The businesses under his command pay their taxes, sometimes even at the maximum rate. Under his influence, Zhu Ci has also begun paying taxes.
However, this former Crown Prince didn't seem to have many assets in his hands, though he did have some landholdings, so he didn't pay much in taxes.
Huang Chunyao indeed had not expected the Little Emperor to have secretly arranged a fleet.
When Fu finally arrived for the roll call, Huang Chunyao couldn't help but come over and ask, "What exactly did His Majesty's fleet transport out there?"
Based on the timing of this fleet's return, it can be inferred that when they set out, His Majesty had not yet embarked on his expedition; at that time, it would not be an exaggeration to say his Emperor was penniless.
That bit of small change was nothing at all compared to the court's expenditures, nor was it anything in the face of large-scale trade.
He couldn't think of anything worth exporting; he hadn't heard of any imperial orders for procurement. Could it be that the person before him had helped again?
Fu glanced at him and said, "It is silk and cloth."
"Silk and cloth?" Huang Chunyao was still somewhat puzzled.
Fu shook his head: "It seems Unshheng does not quite understand His Majesty. While His Majesty was in Suzhou, he improved the spinning machines and looms, later ordered people to promote them, recruiting many weaving women."
Huang Chunyao thought carefully and seemed to vaguely remember this matter; he and Gu Rouqian were good friends, he had heard rumors of it.
But despite saying they had recruited many, there weren't actually that many people; the entire textile factory had at most a hundred people, which was not a large scale even for Jiangnan.
The only somewhat special aspect was that these weavers did not work at home like the traditional ones, but were instead gathered together to work in a factory building.
From the managers to the workers, they were all women, those responsible for sales and communication were also women.
I remember they were criticized by many people back then, but it is said that those people were all saved by the Little Emperor during his time living in seclusion in the countryside.