Chapter 22: Summoning Song Yingxing and Chen Zhenlong to the Capital

On August 22nd, Zhu Youxiao passed away.

By the time the memorial dated August 11th arrived, the Emperor was already critically ill; how could he possibly have paid attention to such matters? As his ministers, they were meant to share the burden of the state, yet with the Emperor too sick to govern, were the officials not capable of handling it themselves?

*Bang!*

The usually composed Chongzhen slammed the memorial onto his dragon desk, his face contorted with rage. "These dog officials! They know only how to form cliques for personal gain and squabble for power, never sparing a thought for the lives of the common people. Such news, and they didn't even bother to report it! What are the Governors of Shaanxi doing? What are the Viceroys of the Three Frontiers and the Grand Secretariat doing?"

After venting his fury, Chongzhen slowly calmed down and sank into deep contemplation.

Why did these uprisings occur? Because the people were starving. Why were they starving? Because the exorbitant taxes and levies were too heavy—but that was merely the surface. The root cause was that the common people had too little land, and the yields were too low, as most of the arable land was concentrated in the hands of the Imperial Clan and the gentry. Without reclaiming that land, even if the imperial court abolished all taxes, it would be of no use.

Chongzhen had recently examined the Ministry of Revenue's records. In the north, summer wheat and autumn millet yielded two *shi* per *mu*, while in the south, double-cropped rice and wheat yielded three *shi*. Calculated out, the average was about two and a half *shi*, or roughly 380 jin per *mu*. Yet, the average person owned less than two *mu* of land. If they encountered floods, droughts, or locust plagues, having porridge three times a day was a luxury, let alone surviving the court’s heavy taxes and the relentless exploitation by officials and the gentry.

Solving the food shortage could be approached in two ways: first, ensuring the people had more land. If the yield was insufficient, they would simply have to make up for it with quantity. If two *mu* per person wasn't enough, then three, five, or even ten would have to do. This sounded simple, but implementation was fraught with immense difficulty.

In the more than two hundred years of the Great Ming, spanning fifteen emperors, only during the Hongwu and Wanli eras was a clear accounting of the nation’s land ever achieved. This alone showed the difficulty of such a task. Because it involved the interests of the Imperial Clan and the gentry, one needed powerful military authority to prevent them from rioting.

Land redistribution was currently impossible, but he could introduce high-yield crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes. Historical records from the future were clear: potatoes had entered the Ming during the Wanli era, and sweet potatoes were introduced in 1593 by Chen Zhenlong.

"Who was it that promoted potatoes again?"

Chongzhen furrowed his brow, trying hard to recall the information in his mind. After a long moment, he still could not remember.

"Never mind, I will have Song Yingxing do it!"

Chongzhen gave up on the memory and made his choice. He had originally intended to wait until he held firm control over the military and had secured enough funds and land before summoning these two men, but he had been forced to act ahead of schedule.

"Your Majesty, this servant recalls that among the officials in the capital, there is no one named Song Yingxing."

Hearing Wang Cheng'en's whispered response, Chongzhen smiled but offered no explanation. It would be a wonder indeed if even Wang Cheng'en had heard of these two. They might not be well-known in the Ming Dynasty, but in the future, they were legendary figures. Song Yingxing’s *Tiangong Kaiwu* was hailed as the encyclopedia of 17th-century Chinese technology, while Chen Zhenlong was the first to introduce the sweet potato to China, making an outstanding contribution to alleviating hunger and holding great significance in the history of Chinese agriculture.

"Bring Li Ruolian in."

A moment later, Li Ruolian entered.

"Li Ruolian, organize two teams. Send one to Fenxin County in Jiangxi to find a man named Song Yingxing; he should be a *juren*. Additionally, go to Changle County, Fuzhou Prefecture, to find a man named Chen Zhenlong; he was once a *xiucai* who later abandoned his studies for trade."

"When you go, show them every courtesy. If these two are used well, they could influence the very fate of the Great Ming. You must ensure they are escorted safely to Beijing."

Chongzhen emphasized this point with such gravity that Wang Cheng'en, Fang Zheng'hua, and Li Ruolian were all struck with awe. They had never seen the Emperor so solemn about a task—not even when dispatching orders to Qin Liangyu in Zhongzhou.

Li Ruolian hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, given the importance of this task, I would like to go myself to ensure there are no mishaps."

"No, you have other tasks. Let Wang Guoxing and his men go."

Chongzhen flatly refused. Neither the trip to Jiangxi nor the one to Fuzhou could be completed quickly; a round trip would take at least a month and a half to two months. Besides, even if they arrived, they wouldn't yield results overnight; distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. Furthermore, Qin Liangyu would arrive in the capital in a month. Once she arrived, it would be time to reorganize the Embroidered Uniform Guard and raid the Eight Great Shanxi Merchants.

Raiding those eight merchants would yield at least hundreds of thousands of *shi* of grain, enough to alleviate the disaster in Shaanxi. He could then purchase more rice from the south, and by being frugal, they could hold out until the sweet potatoes and potatoes were harvested. For the task of raiding the merchants, he trusted no one but Li Ruolian.

"Go and make the arrangements!"

After Li Ruolian departed, Chongzhen’s fury subsided somewhat. Now, he only needed to wait for Fang Wen to return with confirmation of the situation.

By the time he finished his duties, it was late. After his meal, Chongzhen instructed, "Old Companion, as soon as Fang Wen returns, wake me immediately."

With that, he collapsed into bed. The next morning, a groggy Chongzhen was awakened by Wang Cheng'en.

A quarter of an hour later, after freshening up, Chongzhen met the travel-worn Fang Wen. "Fang Wen, your hard work is appreciated. Tell me in detail what you have discovered."

"Old Companion, bring him a seat."

"This servant thanks Your Majesty!"

After expressing his gratitude, Fang Wen said, "Your Majesty, I scouted the interior of Shaanxi. Rebel armies exist in Pucheng, Baishui, Jingzhou, Fuping, Chunhua, Sanyuan, and elsewhere. The primary cause is the severe drought, which has led to a total crop failure, yet the government continues to impose various levies. The people could bear it no longer and rose up."

"It is not a rebel army; it is a popular uprising. Remember that!" Chongzhen could not help but interrupt. "Continue."

"Your Majesty, of the sixteen uprisings, the one in Baishui is the most severe. The leader is a man named Wang Er. He gathered hundreds of men, breached the county seat, executed the magistrate, and then retreated to the north of the Luo River in Baishui. He has now amassed nearly six thousand people."

"Among them, the core strength consists of mutinous soldiers, bandits, couriers, and deserters, accounting for about ten percent. The rest are starving people and refugees."

"In all other locations, the numbers range from several hundred to a thousand."

At that moment, Chongzhen’s expression finally shifted. He had known it was serious, but he hadn't realized it had reached such a scale. Combined, these people numbered nearly twenty thousand. Even if most were refugees, twenty thousand was enough to give the local garrisons a hard time. Moreover, could the current inland garrisons even hold their own in battle?

"Fang Wen, go and get some rest."

After Fang Wen left, Chongzhen massaged his temples. He rose and headed toward the Huangji Hall, his eyes filled with murderous intent. He would see how these officials who lived off the fat of the land explained this; if they couldn't, they would have no one to blame but themselves when he raised his blade.