I, Chongzhen, Will Save Great Ming

In 1634, Li Ming transmigrates through time and becomes an emperor who commands vast territories, with a million square li of the realm in his hands. Yet the countdown to his fated end has begun: only seven years remain, and the disaster at Coal Hill looms on the horizon.

At the time, external threats are as ferocious as wolves and tigers, with the Jianzhou forces repeatedly raiding the borders. Internal troubles gnaw at the empire like ants eating through a dike: the rebel Gao Yingxiang sweeps across the Central Plains, while hypocrites crowd the court. The treasury is empty, and the empire is nearly out of food. I ask myself: can the ship of the Ming still be turned back from the brink?

So I train the troops and forge an ironclad new army. I clean up the bureaucracy and root out corrupt schemers. With taxes on commerce and trade flourishing, the treasury gradually fills. I reform land and labor taxes and return the fees collected on melted silver to the public, bringing scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants together to weather the storm. On the snowy northern frontier, the Jianzhou forces are driven back, and troops take up positions in Siberia. In the southern seas, Luzon submits, and Ming sails crowd the Strait of Malacca. The Japanese islands overflow with gold and silver; across the vast lands of the Americas, I establish a system of enfeoffment. Throughout the four seas, all look up to the might of the Ming.

What matters to me is neither the infamy I may bear after death nor whether my methods are praised. I only wish to restore the Han realm and revive China in this magnificent age of exploration. I will not shrink from death or fear criticism. My ambition reaches far, and I swear to lead the Ming to its height of glory.