Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 432 Mobilizing the Qionghai Army to Suppress Bandits

Wen Tiren was well aware of Chongzhen's impatient nature. This emperor wished he could wipe out the bandits one day and defeat the Tartars the next, and when things didn't go his way, he would vent his anger on his ministers. He knew that the matter of the imperial tombs had upset Chongzhen, and he needed to find someone for him to vent his emotions on.

He cautioned, “Your Majesty, with the fall of Zhongdu, the relevant officials and generals must be punished as a warning to others. General Zhu Guoxiang failed in his duty to defend the city and his crime is unforgivable, but considering that he has already committed suicide to atone for his sins, he need not be pursued further; Governor Yang Yipeng failed to organize the troops of the four prefectures to rescue Zhongdu, which is a dereliction of duty and must be severely punished!”

Filled with resentment, Emperor Chongzhen suddenly found a target for his anger. He abruptly stopped pacing and said through gritted teeth, "Yang Yipeng, the governor of four prefectures, failed to protect Zhongdu. His crime is unforgivable. Order the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest him and bring him to the capital. Execute him at Caishikou and let all officials see the consequences of not doing their job properly!"

Wen Tiren breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself: Yang Yipeng, you deserve your bad luck. Who told Zhongdu to fall during your term? If we don't push you out, His Majesty will keep an eye on us to come up with a good strategy to suppress the bandits. We'll have a hard time. It's better to sacrifice a friend than myself.

Yang Yipeng, courtesy name Dayou, was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the 38th year of the Wanli reign. He was the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, and Fengyang was also under his jurisdiction. His full title was "Grand Canal Transport Commissioner, Military Governor, Governor of Fengyang and other places, and concurrently in charge of waterways." His main responsibility was to supervise the Grand Canal transport and concurrently serve as governor of the four prefectures of Huai'an, Yangzhou, Luzhou, and Fengyang, and the three prefectures of Xuzhou, Hezhou, and Chuzhou. In other words, his main job was to manage the Grand Canal and waterways, and he only had to manage the four prefectures and three prefectures of Fengyang as an incidental responsibility. Now that something happened in Fengyang, he has become the scapegoat.

Having found the "culprit" behind the fall of Zhongdu, Chongzhen's frustration eased somewhat. He asked the crowd, "With Yang Yipeng punished, the position of Grand Canal Transport Commissioner is vacant. Do you have any candidates to recommend?"

Minister of War Zhang Fengyi, who had recently been frequently scolded by Emperor Chongzhen, was eager to make a good impression and regain some favor. Hearing Chongzhen's question, he thought it was a risk-free one and quickly answered, "The Shandong Governor Zhu Yanzhi has rendered meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion, and after the war, he was able to quickly appease the people and stabilize the situation, which shows his exceptional talent. As the Grand Canal Transport Commissioner and Governor of Zhongdu, he is in such a crucial position, and at this time he also has to face the most ferocious bandits, Gao Yingxiang and Zhang Xianzhong's troops. Only a capable person can handle this. I recommend Zhu Yanzhi to be transferred to the position of Grand Canal Transport Commissioner."

Zhu Yanzhi was the courtesy name of Zhu Dadian. Upon hearing this, Chongzhen nodded and said, "You've finally said something that's pleasing to the ear. Zhu Dadian is indeed a good candidate."

After careful consideration, he felt that no more suitable candidate could be found in such a short time, so he said: "Issue: Zhu Dadian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of War and Governor of Shandong, is hereby appointed as the Governor-General of the Grand Canal and concurrently the Military Governor of Fengyang. He shall take up his post immediately and lead troops out of Shandong. Hong Chengchou, the Governor-General of the Five Provinces, shall go out of Shaanxi to attack the bandits from both sides."

Zhang Fengyi's suggestion was adopted, which encouraged him. He continued to offer advice: "Now that the Tartars have retreated to the border, there is no war in the north for the time being. We can mobilize troops from all over the country to wipe out the bandits in one fell swoop."

Emperor Chongzhen asked in confusion, "Should we transfer troops from the border garrisons in the north? But we can't easily transfer troops to guard against the Tartars, otherwise we'll give them another opportunity to take advantage of us."

Zhang Fengyi replied, "There is no need to transfer border troops. There is a strong army readily available in the south. Right now, the Japanese and Japanese pirates have been defeated and the seas are calm and the rivers are peaceful. It is the perfect time to transfer them north to suppress the pirates."

"You mean Liu Ye?" Chongzhen thought for a moment and slowly nodded. "Since he can defeat the Japanese pirates and the Dutch, he should be able to deal with the roving bandits as well. He can be conscripted..."

Wen Tiren initially wanted to reject Zhang Fengyi's suggestion, but he hadn't expected Chongzhen to agree so quickly. He swallowed his words and shook his head inwardly. He wanted to use Lin Tianming to win over Liu Ye, this newly minted and powerful military leader, and didn't want the Qionghai Army to come to Henan to fight the bandits to the death, thus depleting their strength. The bandits were exceptionally cunning, never truly defeated. Every time they were half-crippled by the government troops, they could gather refugees in a new place and return, keeping the government troops constantly on their toes. Although Liu Ye's Qionghai Army was strong, it would likely be worn down by this persistent, mobile force. He feared that Chongzhen would blame him, and his previously accumulated good reputation would be ruined.

He thought for a moment. The emperor's words were law, and since he had spoken, his subjects could not undermine him. So he could only think of other solutions: "Your Majesty is wise: Qionghai Town is newly built, and the newly recruited soldiers are still training and getting used to each other. They may not be able to form combat power in a short time. In addition, the court has not yet allocated the additional rations and pay. Without rations and pay and funds for the expedition, how can the army fight? We cannot go to war on an empty stomach."

Emperor Chongzhen frowned and asked, "Has the grain and salary for Qionghai Town not been allocated yet?"

Zhang Fengyi said in a panic, "The Ministry of War has approved the addition of two thousand soldiers to Qionghai Town, and will issue rations and pay according to the standard for battalion soldiers. As for whether the payments will be made, we need to ask the Ministry of Revenue..."

Wu Zongda, the second-in-command who had remained silent until now, had to speak up. He was a Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and Minister of Revenue, and the Ministry of Revenue was the department under his jurisdiction.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Revenue has no money, and the arrears in grain and salary are not limited to Qionghai Town. Apart from Liaodong, where the Liaodong levy can be guaranteed, the other border towns cannot pay their full amount. I am incompetent and cannot share Your Majesty's burdens. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

Emperor Chongzhen waved his hand in frustration: "This isn't entirely your fault, so I won't hold you responsible for now." He turned to Wen Tiren, "Does a lack of provisions mean we can't send the Qionghai Army north? Did the Ministry of Revenue have the silver when we were fighting the Japanese pirates?"

Wen Tiren smiled wryly and said, "Your Majesty, back then Qionghai Town was still Qiongzhou Camp, under the control of Guangdong and Guangxi. Its provisions and pay were raised by the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi and the Governor of Guangdong. Now that it has been upgraded to a military town, its provisions and pay should be allocated by the imperial court..."

When Emperor Chongzhen was sidelined, local armies became central armies, and the burden of local finances shifted to the central government—this statement is accurate.

He thought for a while and said to Wu Zongda, "Let's think of a way to deduct a portion of this year's Liaoning military pay as a discount to cover the expenses of the Qionghai Army's northward expedition. Let's deal with the current difficulties first, and then find a way to make up for it later..."

Wu Zongda asked, "What about Liaodong?"

"The Liaodong military pay has never been embezzled. This small amount is just a temporary allocation for emergency purposes. It's just that we'll give it to them a little later," Chongzhen said impatiently. "Such a small matter shouldn't be something for Zu Dashou and his ilk to fuss over."

Wu Zongda replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."

Wen Tiren sighed inwardly. The emperor was relentless in his demand to mobilize the Qionghai Army and even had designs on the Liaodong military pay, so there was nothing he could do to stop him.

With the issue of provisions resolved, Chongzhen raised his chest and declared loudly: "Issue another decree: Now that bandits are rampant and Zhongdu has fallen, transfer the troops from Qionghai Town northward to Henan to assist Hong Chengchou and Zhu Dadian in relieving the siege of Zhongdu and to participate in the suppression of the bandits. They shall depart immediately without delay."