Following the advice of the Donglin Faction, Zhu Cilang first dispatched secret envoys to Sichuan and Fujian. Subsequently, he established contact with his closer kinsmen: Prince Fu Zhu Yousong, Prince Lu Zhu Changfang, Prince Tang Zhu Yujian, Prince Lu Zhu Yihai, and Prince Yongming Zhu Youlang. He clarified the current state of the Imperial Court to them and invited them to join in marching to the Capital to protect the Emperor. While awaiting the replies from these envoys, the various factions in Nanjing began intensifying their military drills, preparing to set out at any moment.
News from Nanjing reached Emperor Chongzhen through various channels. He was quite satisfied with the reactions of the various parties in Nanjing. As long as they did not follow the Crown Prince in rebellion, Emperor Chongzhen would have no way to purge them. In particular, the use of a monetary reform repeal to win over hearts and minds was, to Emperor Chongzhen, simply fantastic news. One of the main reasons he had forced the gentry of Jiangnan into rebellion was to extract money! However, there was a prerequisite: the money had to be extracted in a way that appeared reasonable and legal.
How could he make it both reasonable and legal? The method was simple. As the "loyalist" armies marched, they would announce the repeal of the monetary reforms upon arriving in each locality. Who would support the repeal? The gentry and landlords who were at odds with Emperor Chongzhen. Now that the Crown Pr…
Chapter 1233