Chapter 8, the situation is more serious than imagined

Zhu Jie continued, "Although the Emperor is diligent in governance and loves the people, the changes are unpredictable and the edicts are issued in the morning and altered by evening. At the same time, he lacks the true determination and courage for genuine reform, which is the most frustrating aspect..."

However, General Zhu, attempting to rob Li Zicheng is not so easy. As you mentioned, Li Zicheng commands an army of 300,000, far surpassing our own. How can we possibly seize it

Zhu Jie extended a finger and replied: "First, the court's financial resources are exhausted, and there is insufficient funding. Whether it is to quell rebellions or defend against insults, we are powerless. Unless the current state of the national treasury changes, no matter how capable you are, without military pay, which soldier would risk their life for you?"

General Zhu, may I ask, where exactly does the crux of the issue lie now

Zhu Jie laughed heartily and said: "Master Supervisor, has the years of imprisonment dulled the sharpness and edges of your character? You are not the formidable Supervisor Sun that I remember..."

Sun Chuanting inquired

Sun Chuanting's face flushed, and he sighed, "What can be done if one does not smooth out their edges? Lu Xiangsheng's sharpness was not dulled, yet in the end, he was framed and ultimately died on the battlefield. Yuan Chonghuan's edges were not smoothed either, and in the end, he was subjected to a thousand cuts. My edges have not been dulled, and my outcome is still the best; I was merely imprisoned in a heavenly prison for two or three years. Ideals, after all, are destined to be gradually overturned by reality..." My edges have not been dulled, and my outcome is still the best; I was merely imprisoned in a heavenly prison for two or three years. Ideals, after all, are destined to be gradually overturned by reality..."

Gao Jie, summon all the generals above the rank of deputy general in the main camp to the command tent for a meeting! Let us introduce the new deputy general to our brothers

Gao Jie hurriedly went out to deliver the order, while Sun Chuanting turned around and said with a smile: "General Zhu, since you are willing to stay, that makes you one of us. At present, the court is facing both internal and external troubles, and it is precisely in need of talents like you who can help the world."

Sun Chuanting could no longer listen: "General Zhu, I admit that what you say is reasonable. However, although the Emperor has made some mistakes, it is not for us, as subjects, to criticize. We must be cautious to avoid bringing about our own demise"

Zhu Jie retorted, "My Lord Supervisor, do you still believe that the crux of the current internal and external troubles of the court lies in military matters? Was it the inadequacy of Lu Xiangsheng's abilities back then, or the lack of strength of Hong Chengchou? If we go further back, what about Yuan Chonghuan and Sun Chengzong? Were they not all prominent figures? Even Yang Sichang had his merits; why did they all meet with defeat? Do you consider yourself superior to them?"

Sun Chuanting was taken aback and asked, "Is that really the case? Although the bandits are formidable, I believe that as long as I have sufficient troops and supplies, defeating them should not be a problem..."

Zhu Jie continued, "Nowadays, the Emperor is too indulgent towards the civil officials and noble families in the court, allowing these individuals to engage in intrigue and idleness, with hardly anyone willing to take on responsibilities. To put it bluntly, they are even inferior to Wei Zhongxian, who at least could accumulate some resources for the court. Can you expect a group of swine to lead the court in resisting the ferocious armies of Li Zicheng and Huang Taiji?"

Third

Gao Jie looked at Zhu Jie in surprise, thinking, this kid really dares to dream big. However, the idea of seizing the food from the bandits is indeed quite good, much better than robbing the common people!

Good, good!

Sun Chuanting said with a bitter smile: "General, nowadays, the burden on me is truly too heavy, it is suffocating me. In the past, when General Lu and General Hong were present, the Ming Dynasty at least had the capacity to fend off the Tartars externally and suppress the bandits internally. But now, the renowned generals of the Ming are nearly all gone. Moreover, the Emperor is rather impatient. My Qin army has only been recruited for less than a year and has yet to be fully formed, yet he has forced us to the front lines. If I were given another year, the army would be well-trained, and dealing with the bandits would be a matter of course."

Zhu Jie extended his second finger and replied: "Secondly, the Central Plains region has suffered from years of disasters, and the court does not provide relief to the victims, nor does it engage in irrigation and restoration efforts. Instead, it continuously increases taxes, leaving the common people with no means of survival. How can they not rebel? Even if you eliminate Li Zicheng, there will still be others like Wang Zicheng and Zhang Zicheng emerging..."

Zhu Jie’s expression turned serious as he replied, "My lord, you are all scholars, having achieved the status of Jinshi, and you disdain the calculations and schemes behind the scenes. I am different; my relationship with Confucius is minimal, and I do not care for such appearances. As long as the common people can live well, what does it matter if I employ some cunning strategies? If anyone seeks to deal with me, I will retaliate tenfold! Only by preserving myself can I safeguard the current realm, can I not?"

As Zhu Jie continuously presented his viewpoints, Sun Chuanting's expression grew increasingly dark, and his mood became more and more dejected. With each point Zhu Jie made, he found himself unable to refute it. Although he was reluctant to admit it, he had no choice but to acknowledge that every word Zhu Jie spoke hit the nail on the head

Fourth

Zhu Jie smiled and said: "My lord, you are testing me. It is true that Li Zicheng commands an army of 300,000, but among them, the elite troops number no more than 100,000. The rest are merely the displaced people and bandits he has gathered, serving as cannon fodder. In a tough battle, they will not play a significant role. Moreover, his large army needs to guard various passes and protect the provincial capitals, so the available mobile forces are certainly limited. On the contrary, at this moment, we only need to concentrate our forces. We can deal with them one by one; taking down one will be enough for us to sustain ourselves for half a month to a month..."

Sun Chuanting remained silent, continuing to gaze at Zhu Jie

Haha

Zhu Jie shook his head and replied, "My Lord Supervisor, I must say, you are overly confident. Even if you were given two years, it would be difficult for you to turn around the current crisis facing the court..."

Zhu Jie smiled and said, "What the Inspector said is true. Over the years, I have wandered the rivers and lakes with my late master, and I have seen it all firsthand. Not to mention, every time the Qing army invaded, wasn't our Ming Dynasty left in ruins, with our national strength severely weakened? And then there is this Li Zicheng, who attacked Luoyang, resulting in the deaths of six or seven out of ten of its citizens. When he attacked Kaifeng, it turned into a marshy land, with the city destroyed and its people perished. It is truly lamentable..."

Sun Chuanting was greatly pleased. As a commander and a well-read scholar, although Sun Chuanting was proficient in both literature and martial arts, he was not skilled in, nor did he disdain, such underhanded tactics. However, when Zhu Jie proposed them, Sun Chuanting praised the idea highly. On the battlefield, where life and death are at stake, one must resort to any means necessary; in this regard, Zhu Jie was indeed superior to him.

Sun Chuanting was at a loss for words. Zhu Jie was not wrong; perhaps he was somewhat stronger than Yang Sichang, and not inferior to Sun Chengzong and Yuan Chonghuan. However, compared to Lu Xiangsheng and Hong Chengchou, he lacked that confidence. Each of these individuals had met their demise; could he really turn the tide? The answer was naturally negative. Yet, aside from these considerations, where exactly lay the problem? Was it truly the case that the Ming Dynasty was beyond salvation? The answer was naturally negative. Yet, aside from these considerations, where exactly lay the problem? Was it truly the case that the Ming Dynasty was beyond salvation?