[{"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-724":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},1206013,1561,"Chapter 724: Xuantong","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-724",724,"\u003Cp>\"Killed them all…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone in the cabinet fell silent as if gripped by the throat. Emperor Chongzhen's expression flickered uncertainly. After a long while, he murmured, \"Then where does Wang Dou get the funds to support his troops?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed and said, \"The Vermilion Bird, the Black Tortoise, the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger, plus the Central Army Camp, the Loyalty Camp, and the New Auxiliary Camp — from what I know, the troops under Wang Dou's direct command number no fewer than fifty thousand! And nearly half of them are cavalry. The Right Vice Minister already calculated earlier: fifty thousand New Army soldiers require that much in provisions and pay each year. So where does Wang Dou get all that silver and grain?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the intelligence gathered from all sides, Emperor Chongzhen had also learned the approximate strength of Wang Dou's forces. Every day after rising, he would calculate and recalculate, estimating whether Wang Dou's troops had increased or decreased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thing he could never understand was how Wang Dou managed to support such an army. Even in the Liao garrison, where several million taels of Liaodong military tax were poured in each year, the number of elite soldiers there was a mere trifle compared to Wang Dou's.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers looked at one another. It was Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru who stepped forward and said, \"Your Majesty, the way Wang Dou supports his troops is something the court likely cannot emulate. In his army now, there are no monthly wages, and he does not even give settling-in silver anymore!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who in the cabinet did not keep a close watch on Wang Dou? His entire history had been placed under a magnifying glass for minute scrutiny, and his method of supporting troops had been pondered and analyzed by all parties again and again. Everyone concluded that Wang Dou's initial method of building his power resembled the fubing system of the Tang dynasty: peasants in peacetime, soldiers in wartime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there seemed to be slight differences. After all, under the fubing system, soldiers had to provide their own bows, arrows, clothing, and provisions; except for heavy weapons and warhorses, everything had to be self-supplied. But for Wang Dou, all these were provided by him — no self-supply was required. In that sense, it somewhat resembled the guard battalion troops of the early dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, the garrison farmers in the various forts of Xuanfu Garrison now: they farm when busy and drill when idle — exactly like Wang Dou in his early days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if one wanted to emulate Wang Dou, there was one point the court would find very difficult to achieve: organizational capability at the grassroots level!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lijia system throughout the Great Ming had long since fallen into disrepair. Local areas were basically under the control of the gentry; even tax collection and grain levies were mostly arranged and contracted out by them. Without trustworthy grassroots officials, who could say whether this \"farm when busy, drill when idle\" approach could actually work?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, would it turn out that instead of producing elite soldiers, tens of thousands of New Army troops would simply become peasants — just like the current guard battalion system?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, this method required too much time, and producing elite soldiers was extremely difficult. The realm is now surrounded on all sides by wolves and tigers; this is not a time when enemies are relatively weak. Once war breaks out, it will be battle after bloody battle. If such a New Army were deployed to the battlefield, either it would be forged into an army through bloody combat, or it would be annihilated entirely — the risk is not small.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Do not be fooled by Wang Dou's current massive momentum. In his early days, he also faced great hardship. Fortunately, he pulled through. Those farmer-soldiers who farmed while fighting produced a multitude of battle-hardened veterans, which ultimately allowed Wang Dou to possess a full-time standing army of tens of thousands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he had a steady stream of farmer-soldiers serving as a reserve force — this was the secret to Wang Dou's success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this point, the ministers could see it clearly enough. But they could only envy it; the realm now did not have the kind of opportunity Wang Dou had, to gradually build an army from weakness to strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What they needed was an elite force that could fight quickly; there was no room for gradual, step-by-step development. That was why Wang Dou could get away with not paying his soldiers provisions and wages, but they could not. Just like when Cao, Wang, and others were organizing and training new armies, settling-in silver and monthly wages were essential to let the soldiers train with peace of mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there were still many things within this that they could not fully understand — for instance, the merit value system in the current Pacification Army, which they found very baffling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed, farming while fighting, not paying provisions and wages — the court cannot emulate this, and I do not have the time for it either!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Chongzhen murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having the New Army farm while training was far too difficult, and Emperor Chongzhen found it very hard to trust the officials below. Who knew what it would turn into in the end?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back when Yang Sichang proposed increasing the training levy, Emperor Chongzhen had worried about losing the trust of the realm. Yang Sichang had said, \"The harm lies in this: the added tax comes from the land, and the land has all fallen into the hands of the powerful. A few mace of silver per hundred mu will only slightly curb annexation.\" He claimed that the bulk of the tax burden fell on the \"powerful families,\" but in the end, it was still passed down to ordinary yeoman farmers, making the roving bandits surge even more fiercely like a tide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The decay of the realm's guard battalion system was right before his eyes; Emperor Chongzhen found it very hard to trust the integrity of low-level officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter what, could the court truly lack even the provisions and pay to train a New Army of tens of thousands? Even if Wang Dou did not give military wages or settling-in silver, maintaining an army of tens of thousands still cost a great deal. If a local warlord could afford it, why could he not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked sternly at Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu: \"Ni Yuanlu, tell me: the realm's annual summer and autumn grain taxes amount to over twenty-six million shi. Even according to the Right Vice Minister's calculations, the New Army would require an initial investment of over two million taels of silver, but thereafter, the annual cost for wages and equipment would only be around one million taels of silver!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can it be that the vast Great Ming, with the strength of the entire realm, cannot even train a single New Army of tens of thousands?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ni Yuanlu, his expression haggard, stepped forward and knelt. After assuming office, he had implemented cost-cutting and expense-saving policies and had come under unimaginable attack. In particular, many military men who had been feeding on empty payrolls and bleeding the soldiers, in their discontent, had even issued personal threats of violence. Not long ago, he had banned private coinage and promoted the use of paper currency, but all those measures had ultimately come to nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ming founder had established an ancestral injunction against appointing men from Zhejiang as officials of the Ministry of Revenue. Emperor Chongzhen had made an exception in appointing Ni Yuanlu, and this debt of gratitude for recognizing his talent had moved Ni Yuanlu to tears. But since taking office, he had discovered that whatever he did seemed to turn out badly, never yielding good results. His mental and physical exhaustion had also made the emperor increasingly disappointed in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the emperor's words, Ni Yuanlu could only smile bitterly. Although the Great Ming's annual revenue was over twenty-six million shi, a very large portion had to be retained locally. The amount that entered the Imperial Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue each year was only a few million taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And among these expenditures, the military costs for the various frontier garrisons alone exceeded eight million taels. Every year, the Ministry of Revenue's deficit was an enormous figure. Where was the money to train a New Army?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No money?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Chongzhen gave a cold laugh. He was no longer the same as when he had first become emperor; he had gradually come to understand many things. Besides, now that he had the Xuanfu Times, his horizons had broadened considerably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Xuanfu Times was divided into sections: Current Affairs and Important News, Miscellaneous Commentary, Xuanfu News, Xuan-Da News, Great Ming News, and Overseas News. Among these, Emperor Chongzhen particularly enjoyed reading the Overseas News.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He remembered that it had once casually mentioned that Zheng Zhilong in the southeast, merely by collecting ship taxes, earned an annual profit of ten million taels of silver — higher than the revenue of his own central state treasury. And there was also something about the Iwami Silver Mine in the country of Japan, piled high with mountains of gold and silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reading those reports, it seemed as if the whole world was overflowing with money everywhere. Why was it that when it came to him, his purse was completely empty?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said coldly, \"Does my Great Ming have no money? I recall that when Wang Dou raided the Shanxi merchants, just a handful of merchants yielded several million taels of silver!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sudden gust of cold wind swept through. The silence in the cabinet was terrifying. Ni Yuanlu stared at Emperor Chongzhen in astonishment. Even Minister of Rites Fu Shuxun, who had been about to fall asleep, abruptly raised his head, his eyes bright and intent as he looked at the emperor. The cabinet ministers, from Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru on down, each fixed their gaze on their noses, their mouths, their hearts, remaining utterly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Chongzhen looked at them one by one. Seeing their faces half-hidden in the shadows, they seemed to carry a rather sinister air. A sudden shock struck his heart, and a chill surged through him. In that lightning-flash instant, the Zhengde Emperor, the Red Pill Case, Song Duanzong Zhao Bing — people and events — all flooded into his mind. He opened his mouth, and suddenly found himself unable to speak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Xinjia gritted his teeth. \"Perhaps… we could start with the Liaodong military tax. Shanhai Pass and the Liao garrison alone consume over four million taels in provisions and wages each year. By casually saving a little, training a New Army would be more than enough…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers remained silent. Wei Zaode stood ramrod straight, the corner of his eye casting a faint glance at Chen Xinjia, a trace of disdain and schadenfreude flickering at the corner of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, seeing that the emperor's expression was truly grim, Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru stepped forward and said with a solemn face, \"Your Majesty, this humble minister believes it would be better to set up a Yellow Silk Register and solicit voluntary contributions from the officials. The capital has many officials, merchants, and wealthy households. In this time of crisis for the court, surely the gentry and officials will all generously donate money and grain to relieve the realm's urgent need.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although there was the precedent of Xue Guoguan's failed attempt to solicit donations, Zhou Yanru believed that having officials and wealthy households contribute aid was always better than the emperor's horrifying notion of raiding and confiscating the property of officials and merchants. Even if there was opposition, one was \"voluntary\" and the other was forced; the targets of aid contributions would at least have a choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers all nodded. Zhou Yanru's proposal could be considered a method when there were no methods. As cabinet ministers, they would certainly each donate a few hundred taels of silver to take the lead and set a vanguard example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Chongzhen said dejectedly, \"Let us discuss this matter further.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"Why are Wang Dou's troops strong and his horses sturdy? Superior firearms and cannons — that is one point! But the realm possesses the strength of the entire Great Ming. Can it be that we cannot even match him in equipment? Yuan Jingwen, what do you have to say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere earlier had been too oppressive, so now the ministers in the cabinet spoke one after another, vying to voice their opinions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Works Yuan Jingwen spoke first: \"In reply to Your Majesty, over the years, the Great Ming has gathered several hundred thousand artisan households in the capital and Tianjin. However, because of the bandit-slaves' incursions, many artisans were captured. There is also the flight of the artisans. At present, the military artisans remaining near the capital are already very few… therefore…\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was one thing he did not say aloud: besides being captured, the artisans gathered in the capital were also being poached in a steady stream year after year by Xuanfu Garrison and the Qing state. Now, of the remaining numbers, compared to those on the registers, perhaps not even one in ten remained. Those who were left suffered from cold and hunger and had no motivation whatsoever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he could use the excuse of long-standing chronic ills to absolve himself, since he had not been Minister of Works for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He changed the subject: \"Actually, when it comes to firearms manufacture, the north has never been able to match the south. At present, Guangdong is the most skilled in firearms. This minister has heard that the people of Yue are adept with bird guns. In the mountain counties, when a commoner's child turns ten, he is given a bird gun and taught to shoot birds. Over time, they become exquisitely accurate. Resting it on the elbow, they can shoot while carrying something on their back and pierce a coin hole from a hundred paces away! To recruit arquebusiers for the New Army, this minister believes we can recruit Cantonese soldiers in large numbers!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He continued, \"Furthermore, the bird guns made in Xinhui are the finest. When the gun is finished and placed on the palm, firing it does not move the gun, nor does it injure the palm. Then, bracing it on the elbow and using it, if a man is in front, one can turn and shoot him sideways with unerring accuracy! We can order the Provincial Governor of Guangdong to summon Xinhui artisans in large numbers to the capital. The Cantonese are also skilled at making red-barbarian cannons. From then until now, Guangdong Province already has nearly three hundred red-barbarian cannons. If we are to train a New Army, how can we lack cannons? We can order their cannon artisans to the capital!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spoke at length, and Emperor Chongzhen nodded from time to time. From reading the newspapers, he knew that the defeats of Cao and Wang were largely due to the bandits' cannons. However, the bandits only had Frankish cannons. If they responded with their own red-barbarian cannons, they would surely be able to crush the bandits utterly!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Chen Yan, Left Vice Minister of Rites and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, said, \"Artisans taken far from their homeland will likely be demoralized and weary. In fact, there is no need for such trouble. We can simply purchase cannons and guns directly from Guangdong.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he was a Sichuan native, he was on good terms with officials in Guangdong. At these words, his mind stirred, and he immediately spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yuan Jingwen shot him a sidelong glare and said coldly, \"The sharp weapons of the army and state — how can they be controlled by private hands? What is the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion implying?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Yan, unwilling to show weakness, also sneered, \"At present, our Great Ming purchases copper and iron from private parties. Why can't the same be done for firearms? Did not the Ministry of War purchase bird guns from Wang Dou? Cantonese guns are quite fine; why can't we buy them? Besides, Wang Dou does not even sell cannons!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said to Emperor Chongzhen, \"Your Majesty, this minister has read private journals. One of them once said: In the realm's manufacture of weapons, the artisans have never been willing to put in their full effort. The supervising officials also seek only to cut costs. As long as the higher and lower levels can muddle through and be done with it, that is enough. How can the workmanship be exquisite?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went on, \"The journal also said that during trade with the Eastern and Western Oceans, the various barbarians would specifically buy the guns made in Guangdong. Those sold by the common people to the barbarians were extremely fine in workmanship, while those made for the government offices were shoddy and inferior! Looking across the entire Great Ming, it is the same everywhere. This minister fears that once the Cantonese artisans arrive in the capital, their workmanship will likewise not be fine. Would that not be a waste of Your Majesty's sagely intent? It would be better to simply purchase from the local area!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said, \"This minister has long heard that the iron industry in Foshan, Guangdong, is the most flourishing. Inside and outside the city, the ironworkers alone number in the tens of thousands. Manufacturing a mere few tens of thousands of guns is a trivial matter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chongzhen Emperor sank into silence. Chen Yan stole a glance at the emperor and withdrew; he had said enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru said, “I have heard that Wang Dou’s troops already use self-igniting firearms. I recall that in the eighth year of Chongzhen, the former Right Vice Minister of War Bi Maokang compiled the *Illustrated Treatise on Military Equipment*, which states: ‘What the barbarians fear most from China is firearms.’ It lists methods for making various firearms and poison crossbows, and especially the self-igniting firearm. I believe that when the new army finishes training, if all musketeers are equipped with self-igniting firearms, they can be used even in rain and snow, and the enemy will no longer be a terror!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chongzhen Emperor said, “Bi Maokang can be employed. Issue an edict: summon the retired official Bi Maokang back to service!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet after all the talk, everything still came down to provisions and pay. Without provisions and pay, any plan was mere armchair strategy. The assembled ministers had the will but, after racking their brains, could find no solution, and in the end had to adjourn the discussion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they withdrew, the Chongzhen Emperor heaved a deep sigh. He watched the Great Ming realm battered by wind and rain, yet he himself was powerless. Ancestors above, your unworthy descendant is ashamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Led by Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru, the ministers emerged from the Eastern Warmth Pavilion. Along the way, everyone was silent, each lost in private thought. Finally, Zhou Yanru stroked his fine beard and said with a smile to Minister of Personnel Zheng Sanjun and Minister of Revenue Ni Yuanlu, “For today’s troubles, my two esteemed colleagues, why not come to my humble residence for a few cups of wine?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zheng Sanjun and Ni Yuanlu forced smiles onto their faces. “Very well, we shall humbly take the lowest seats and share a few drinks with Your Excellency.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over on the other side, Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion Chen Yan quickened his pace. Watching Zhou Yanru and the others gather together, a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He smiled at Wei Zaode beside him and said, “I hear that Vice Minister Wei has assembled a troupe of beautiful courtesans, each with a different enchanting grace? I have long yearned to see them. Today I must broaden my experience a little.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zaode laughed quietly. “Joy shared alone is not as good as joy shared by all. I shall certainly sweep my couch clean and await your honored arrival.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon it was time to leave the offices again. At Chessboard Street, that prime district where the princely mansions, the six ministries of the court, the Five Chief Military Commissions, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and other government offices converged, a dense black mass of people in official robes of every color streamed out endlessly from the Great Ming Gate. Every teahouse and wineshop was packed to bursting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as the weather turned cold, business at these wineshops grew even better — a stark contrast to the refugees and beggars filling every corner of the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a restaurant on Wangfu Street, cheers rang out without end. The room was full of diners, all listening to a storyteller chanting the news in cadenced tones. Every face was alive with excitement. In a private booth near the front, several men with somber expressions were also listening intently to the commotion below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing wave after wave of cheers rising from downstairs, one man finally could not contain himself. He slammed his wine cup heavily onto the table and said bitterly, “Look how pleased these southern barbarians are! That traitor Wang merely won a battle against the Mongols, and they act as if he has no equal under heaven, even claiming the Jingbian Army can destroy our Great Qing within a year. This is truly intolerable — what can be endured if this can be endured!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The others were also seething with indignation. A man of about fifty, who was intently watching a succession of official sedan chairs pass by on the street below, heard this and barked in a low voice, “Watch your words!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He listened carefully to the sounds around them. The others came to their senses as well and fell into the same tense silence. After a long moment, the man said, “Right now, the Ming officials in the capital turn a blind eye to our presence, but Wang Dou’s Intelligence Service is truly formidable. Be careful not to give yourselves away!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked one of them, “Has the intelligence been sent out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That man replied, “Everything, including the newspapers, has been transmitted to Liaodong via the Tianjin water route.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man grunted in acknowledgment, his face deeply worried. After a long pause, he said, “Let’s go downstairs. Leave in separate groups, by different routes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A short while later, the men in the private booth trickled downstairs in twos and threes. The fifty-something man, dressed as a wealthy merchant, also slowly ambled down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir, take care on your way!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The waiter in the main hall bobbed his head and bowed deeply to the man. Times were getting harder by the day; the restaurant could not afford to let any potential customer slip away, not to mention that this gentleman clearly looked like a high-end client.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Near the door in the main hall, a middle-aged man was intently reading a newspaper. He had it spread wide open, completely covering his face. Only after that man walked out the main door did he lower the newspaper and cast an expressionless glance at the man’s retreating figure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the doorway, an idler gave an almost imperceptible nod and, humming a little tune under his breath, ambled off in that direction, now slow, now quick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After another quarter hour, the middle-aged man also put down his newspaper and left the restaurant — and his newspaper was gleefully snatched up by someone at the next table.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late in the ninth month of the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, at Shengjing, in the Chongzheng Hall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the magnificent hall, the Shunzhi Emperor Dorgon roared with laughter. Battle reports had arrived: the Great Qing’s eastern expedition army, commanded by Duoduo and Abatai, was sweeping all before it. They had not only fought their way to the great sea at the easternmost tip of Korea, but with the cooperation of surrendered Korean naval forces, they had stormed Ganghwa Island in a single stroke and captured the entire Korean court, ruler and ministers alike. It could be said that the Kingdom of Korea had been extinguished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although word had come that the war at Guihua City had gone poorly and the Outer Vassal Mongols were no more, in exchange for the destruction of Korea to the Great Qing’s east and the capture of its people and households, Dorgon felt it was worth it. After all, how large was the population of the Outer Vassal Mongols, and how large was Korea’s?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, when he read in the Xuanfu Times that Japan had something called the Iwami Silver Mine, where gold and silver were piled into mountains, how could his heart not be stirred?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mere dwarf pirates — what did the Great Qing have to fear from them? Japan would be the Great Qing’s next target of conquest!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From his ancestors, Dorgon also knew that the Jurchen forebears had not been without campaigns against Japan. Back when Korea was still called Goryeo, the Jurchen people of the Manchurian lands would often take small boats — fifty or sixty at a time, even hundreds or thousands — and raid Tsushima, Iki, Hakata Bay, and other coastal areas of Japan. Japan was so terrified that they called these aliens the “Toi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the \"Toi\" forebears could do it, why could the majestic Great Qing not?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the ministers below sing his praises, Dorgon felt only the weight of his magnificent achievements. After old Nurhaci passed, he had been the rightful successor, only to have it snatched away by Huang Taiji. What was hateful was that after Huang Taiji’s defeat at Songshan, in order to stabilize the situation, he himself had been forced to adopt the humiliating reign title “Shunzhi.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now he had accomplished what even Huang Taiji could not — this was greatness!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And he was the rightful heir to the great line — this was legitimacy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Further abetted by the Grand Secretary of the Hongwen Academy Ning Wan and others, Dorgon felt that the Shunzhi reign title no longer suited him. He must change the reign title.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at his ministers, he declared in a loud and majestic voice: “We have made Our decision. The reign title shall be changed to Xuantong. Next year shall be the first year of Xuantong!” (To be continued...)\u003C\u002Fp>",4407,"2026-06-03T14:06:10.567Z",1,"Novelzhen Translator","52cee1b4632210a03b91a0b206832a5377ba93de77507bd5bcebdf6068b94792","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-725","a-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-chapter-723",896,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fa-little-soldier-of-the-late-ming-border-army-cover.jpg"]