[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army":3,"chapter-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-723":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","A Little Soldier of the Late Ming Border Army",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1206012,1561,"Chapter 723: Costs","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-723",723,"\u003Cp>Old White Ox: Thanks for the bug reports — I'll fix them one by one. Readers who read carefully are my favorite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lian Po is old — can he still eat?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yanru's gaze flickered. He had no objection to Chen Xinjia's proposal to recall Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou, but making Sun Chengzong the Viceroy of Ji-Liao…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already promised that seat to his protégé Fan Zhiwan. Fan Zhiwan was not only a trusted confidant but also possessed outstanding credentials: he had served successively as Inspector of the Huguang Provincial Administration Commission, Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Shandong, Prefect of Ningguo, Prefect of Zhending, and had also served as Provincial Governor of Shanxi and Left Vice Minister of War. Appointing him Viceroy of Ji-Liao to replace Yang Shengwu would draw no objections from any side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, after Hong Chengchou departed, the court had proposed replacing him with the Provincial Governor of Shuntian, Yang Shengwu. Yang Shengwu had previously served as Provincial Governor of Henan. While serving as Regional Inspector of Hedong, he had been highly skilled in developing the salt industry. He had also suppressed the White Lotus Sect and even uncovered evidence of the Commandery Prince of Tang, Zhu Yujian, plotting rebellion, sending a secret memorial to the court overnight, for which he was promoted to Right Vice Minister of War.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he became Viceroy of Ji-Liao, the Chongzhen Emperor personally held a \"Platform Summons\" for him and bestowed upon him the Imperial Sword. When Dudu and others raided Liaodong, Yang Shengwu commanded the troops of Yongping and Shanhai Pass to go to the rescue, but just after leaving Shanhai Pass, Yang Shengwu died from a worsening hernia condition. The court posthumously granted him the titles of Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, and Minister of War, decreed an imperial burial with sacrifices, and gave him the posthumous name Zhuangjie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Viceroy of Ji-Liao seat was vacant, and every faction was fighting for it. Zhou Yanru naturally intended it for his protégé Fan Zhiwan. With Sun Chengzong butting in like this, how could he face his trusted disciple?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He frowned and said, \"Furthermore, Grand Secretary Sun is, after all, far too advanced in years — over eighty, it seems. To have him travel a thousand li all the way to Liaodong — is that any way to treat a senior minister?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand Secretary of the Eastern Hall Wei Zaode also said, \"Grand Secretary Sun has rendered great service. He has devoted his entire life to the country. This old lord has toiled his whole life — it is time for him to enjoy his remaining years.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how much he hated Zhou Yanru, at this moment he firmly stood with him. Sun Chengzong was not only highly respected but also a member of the Donglin faction. If he became Viceroy of Ji-Liao, Zhou Yanru's position in the Grand Secretariat would be as unshakable as Mount Tai — where would that leave any chance for himself to rise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yan felt the same way. He naturally did not wish to see Zhou Yanru's influence grow even stronger. Even the Chongzhen Emperor hesitated, unable to decide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To be honest, he did not want another person of towering virtue and prestige looming over him either — especially since Sun had once been the imperial tutor. Whenever he saw Sun Chengzong, the Chongzhen Emperor felt immense pressure. Let the old man enjoy his remaining years in Gaoyang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He paced back and forth. Finally he said, \"Making Sun Chuanting the Viceroy of the Three Frontiers of Shaanxi and Hong Chengchou the Viceroy of the Capital Training Divisions is feasible. Restoring Sun Chengzong as Viceroy of Ji-Liao… we shall discuss this matter further.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without giving the ministers a chance to debate, he continued, \"The Minister of War has proposed training new armies in the capital and in the provinces. What do you all think?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regarding Chen Xinjia's proposal to train new armies on a large scale in the capital, the ministers naturally had no objections. The slave rebels had marched on Beijing several times. The capital was thrown into panic several times a day, and none of the court's high officials felt safe. Even if only for their own sake, these new armies had to be trained! But as for the provinces…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right Vice Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Hall Wei Zaode stepped forward and said, \"Regarding the Minister of War's proposal to train new armies on a large scale in the capital training divisions, your humble minister agrees. But as for training them in the provinces as well…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a cold laugh, his eyes dark and icy as he fixed them on Chen Xinjia. He shouted sternly, \"Have you not heard of the warlord disasters at the end of the Han and the end of the Tang? Is the Minister of War's proposal intended to throw our Great Ming realm into chaos?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He loudly reported to the Chongzhen Emperor, \"At the end of the Han, the Yellow Turbans rose in rebellion. To suppress the bandits, powerful local families were permitted to establish their own armed forces. This led to the provinces growing overmighty, with commanderies and prefectures holding troops as their power base. Later, the chaos of Dong Zhuo and the calamity of the Three Kingdoms all stemmed from this!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glared furiously at Chen Xinjia. \"Now the central authority is weak — how is it different from the end of the Han? Your humble minister cannot but doubt the Minister of War's intentions. Your Majesty, this man is a traitor to the state! I beg you to execute him!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zaode's eyes were deep and dark. As a northern minister, how could he bear to see the south grow overmighty?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he was skilled at guessing the Emperor's thoughts. The local military strongmen were already uncontrollable as it was. Fortunately, apart from Wang Dou, they were all worthless scoundrels and nothing to fear yet. But if provincial governors were given real power to train and command troops, wouldn't that create yet another local warlord with troops as his power base? The Emperor would never agree!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Wei Zaode's words struck right at the Chongzhen Emperor's concerns. The warlord chaos at the end of the Han and the end of the Tang could not be left unguarded against — especially giving real military power to civil officials, which was even more dangerous, because apart from military affairs, they also possessed the ability to govern and rule!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze flickered as he looked at Chen Xinjia with suspicion as well!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhou Yanru and the others remained silent. Indeed, they shared this worry too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for Chen Xinjia, did he not also covet the throne of Senior Grand Secretary? Guessing that he could secure his position as Minister of War, he decided to stake everything and present several sound statecraft policies to win the Emperor's special regard — even if only to achieve the standing Yang Sichang had held in the Emperor's heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After painstaking effort, he had presented this proposal for large-scale training of new armies in the provinces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Wei Zaode's accusation, though he was furious, he was not surprised. The Grand Secretariat was currently in a state of all-out free-for-all: there was the struggle between the northern and southern factions of the Great Ming, the struggle between the Donglin faction and the eunuch faction, and within the same faction, further infighting for their respective interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To oppose Zhou Yanru, Wei Zaode and Chen Yan often stood with him, but when they spied a golden opportunity to strike him down, they would not lag behind either. After all, once someone was pulled out of the Grand Secretariat, the vacated seat could yield very rich returns for all sides.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked at Wei Zaode and said flatly, \"May I ask the Grand Secretary, if not this, what brilliant plan do you have for exterminating the roving bandits?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zaode said coldly, \"You can imagine the day when warlords carve up the realm and the Great Ming is plunged into fire and water. Chen Xinjia, are you drinking poison to quench thirst?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia pressed him again, \"May I ask how to exterminate the roving bandits?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Chuang bandits merely roam and raid — but warlords carve out fiefdoms!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The look in Wei Zaode's eyes was cold as ice and snow. He stared at Chen Xinjia and bellowed, \"What are you plotting? Chen Xinjia, are you the He Jin of our day, seeking to summon the traitor Dong into the capital?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I asked you how to exterminate the roving bandits!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia shouted fiercely, his finger pointing directly at Wei Zaode's nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He drew a deep breath, knelt before the Chongzhen Emperor, and said, \"How could your humble minister not know of the warlord disasters at the end of the Han and the end of the Tang? Yet taking history as a mirror, training new armies in the provinces can avoid this. Provincial governors are rotated by nature — how could they permanently hold real power over troops? Furthermore, your humble minister's intent is to start with the capital and then move to the provinces: strengthen the trunk and weaken the branches, to prevent the troop-power disasters of previous dynasties. I beg Your Majesty to examine this clearly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chongzhen Emperor looked at him for a long time, then said slowly, \"According to your proposal, how many troops should the capital train? And how many should the provinces train?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia said, \"Your minister has calculated: Shanxi Garrison, Shaanxi, Huguang, and Nanzhili — it would be best to train ten thousand new troops each. The capital should train fifty thousand. After the capital's training is complete, then train the provinces. To make the new armies effective, a Training Office can be established, and we could also request the Marquis of Yongning or the Marquis of Jibei to select and send some instructors. I believe the Marquis of Yongning and the others will certainly agree!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chongzhen Emperor was somewhat tempted. If the disaster of troop-power could be avoided and the central government could have a usable strong army, he was certainly willing. The Chongzhen Emperor had heard that Wang Dou also separated training and command, preventing troops from becoming the general's personal tools without affecting combat effectiveness. If the Training Office could be held in his grasp, this matter had great potential.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for having Wang Dou select and send instructors, this also tempted him. Although there was sentiment at court to suppress Wang Dou, everyone in the central government coveted the good things in his hands — the firearms, the cannons, the armor, and so on. The Ministry of Works had even sent people to demand the formula for the powerful gunpowder from Wang Dou, which Wang Dou flatly refused. They had nearly reached out to squeeze him on provisions and pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zaode was silenced as well. If Chen Xinjia put it that way, although he could still nitpick, clearly the Emperor and the ministers were already tempted. After all, when examined carefully, the benefits still outweighed the drawbacks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But on second thought, he sneered again, \"Easy to say. Training tens of thousands of new troops just like that — what about provisions and pay? What about recruits? And what about the existing Capital Training Divisions?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said loudly, \"Wang Dou's secret is good-family sons and land distribution! From the experiences of the Marquis of Jibei, the Count of Jingnan, and the Count of Ningnan, we can see that to recruit good-family sons, land is the first requirement. May I ask where the land is to come from? Fifty thousand new troops, fifty mu per man, that is two and a half million mu. Is there that much land in the capital region? Even if there is, how much will the reclamation costs be?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, \"And what about the new troops' provisions and pay? In the old days, Xu Guangqi trained troops in Shandong, selecting soldiers in four grades: squad soldier, vanguard soldier, stalwart soldier, and superior soldier. Not to mention that a superior soldier required four taels per month in pay — even a mere squad soldier required one tael and five qian per month. That is already the price of retainers in many places! And a squad soldier's settling-in silver also required twenty taels. For fifty thousand new army squad soldiers, the settling-in silver alone would cost one million taels at once. And their monthly pay? That would also require seventy-five thousand taels per month, nine hundred thousand taels per year!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They also need armor. Xu Guangqi said one suit of fine armor costs sixteen taels. Mao Yuanyi said one suit costs no more than three taels. So how many taels is it really?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cast a cold glance at the Minister of Works, Fan Jingwen, and said, \"Let's split the difference and call it ten taels. The Jingbian Army is fully equipped with fine armor, but the central government lacks the funds. At the very least, the pikemen need to wear armor, right? The arquebusiers can use cotton armor. Twenty-five thousand suits of iron armor would cost two hundred fifty thousand taels of silver. One suit of cotton armor costs three to five taels; twenty-five thousand suits would cost seventy to a hundred thousand taels! This armor needs periodic replacement, so even more silver must be set aside…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Pikes and waist sabers are manageable — each costs only a few qian of silver — but bird guns are not cheap!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A finely crafted bird gun generally costs three to five taels of silver per piece. Everyone says the Eastern Route's firearms are good — they sell one for eight taels, with ten rounds of powerful gunpowder on top. If we buy from them, tens of thousands of bird guns will always cost over two hundred thousand taels of silver. Add it all up — how much silver is that?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The faces of the sovereign and ministers in the hall grew grim. Chen Xinjia opened his mouth to speak but stopped, listening as Wei Zaode continued, \"Once we have the new armies, what do we do with the existing Capital Training Divisions? Over a hundred thousand Capital Training troops — though they seem much cheaper than the new troops on paper, they still require over 1.6 million shi of rice per year! Everyone knows the Capital Training Divisions are riddled with the abuses of misappropriated labor and phantom enrollments. Of the three main battalions' hundred-thousand-plus troops, over half are old and weak, and the rest are mostly officers and nobles falsely claiming pay. No one knows where the soldiers on the rosters are actually working. They can't fight, but their ability to cause trouble is considerable. How many times has the Capital Training Divisions been reorganized? In the second year of Chongzhen, Li Banghua also comprehensively managed the military affairs of the Capital Training Divisions — in the end, it still came to nothing…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zaode spoke slowly, his bearing quite fine, his voice richly resonant — after all, he was a Top Graduate by origin. His entire argument was well-reasoned and well-supported.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Wei Zaode was taking considerable risk in saying this. If word spread outside the Grand Secretariat, it would stir up no small storm — that was certain. Matters inside the Grand Secretariat were as transparent as glass. But if it could find favor in the Emperor's heart, Wei Zaode believed it was worth it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And what he said was the truth. In the second year of Chongzhen, the Chongzhen Emperor had strongly supported Li Banghua in reorganizing the Capital Training Divisions, eliminating over 4,500 phantom enrollments from the capital troops. But he met with fierce backlash from the capital's nobles, eunuchs, and powerful figures, and in the end was ordered into idle retirement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Banghua left the capital, his luggage was entirely plundered by the locals, and he returned home in humiliation — the same treatment as Liu Mao, the Supervising Secretary of the Office of Justice who had reorganized the postal relay stations back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So with the new armies behind them, how do you handle the old troops? If you issue provisions and pay on time, fine. If not…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zaode looked at Chen Xinjia and laughed coldly, \"Oh, right — your humble minister has also forgotten to calculate the provisions and pay for the provincial new armies…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Enough!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chongzhen Emperor barked sharply. He said, \"Over in the Xuan Garrison, how did Wang Dou handle his troops?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia said, \"It seems all the officers' retainers were selected into the Loyal and Righteous Battalion, and the rest were all discharged and sent to farm military colonies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chongzhen Emperor was taken aback. \"And no one caused any trouble?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia said in a low voice, \"Anyone who dared make trouble has been killed off by him!\" (To be continued...)\u003C\u002Fp>",2841,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","7f55147cdf310b08dc1e13ad5e56464f349eae5b4f0d3d8736a501808a9b6529","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-724","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-722",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]