In the first year of the Chongzhen reign, poison hemlock in a medicine bowl at the Palace of Heavenly Purity killed Zhu Youjian.
The man who opened his eyes was the Hongwu Emperor, Zhu Yuanzhang.
He looked down at his frail body, then at the report that people in Shaanxi were "eating one another," the less than 800,000 taels of silver in the imperial treasury, and the mere 30,000 battle-ready soldiers in the capital garrison.
Then he laughed.
"When I was begging for food, things were worse than this."
Reopen the Pichang Temple, survey the farmland, spread sweet potatoes, open maritime trade, train a new army, and pay the troops properly.
Slay the gentry, execute corrupt officials, crush the rebels, and wipe out the Manchus!
"I don't mind burning this Zhu dynasty to the ground with my own hands, then starting over from scratch!"
The realm returns to unity under Hongwu, while the sun and moon shine upon the Ming!
The sun, moon, and rivers will always be there, and the Ming Dynasty will always be there!