Chapter 9: The First Step in Seizing Military Power

The confiscation of Huang Liji's household had virtually no impact on the Ming court. Aside from Wen Tiren being promoted on the spot by the Chongzhen Emperor to Chief Grand Secretary, almost nothing else changed.

Even Wei Zhongxian, the head of the eunuch faction, applauded the Chongzhen Emperor's decision — Wei Zhongxian did not care in the slightest whether a mere Huang Liji lived or died.

If there hadn't been a lack of more suitable candidates, Wei Zhongxian himself would have wanted to get rid of Huang Liji.

What caught Wei Zhongxian off guard, however, was the Chongzhen Emperor's attitude. A sitting Chief Grand Secretary, killed just like that.

Compared to the late Tianqi Emperor's approach of boiling a frog in lukewarm water — and boiling himself to death in the process — this was ruthlessness on a whole other level.

While making up his mind to obediently carry out his duties, Wei Zhongxian also ordered heightened security within the palace and secretly began screening the palace personnel.

No matter what, there could be no repeat of the accidents that befell the Wuzong Emperor and the late Emperor. The Ming had finally produced such a forceful Son of Heaven; if this grand situation were destroyed in an instant, Wei Zhongxian would not know how to face the late Emperor.

The Chongzhen Emperor, utterly oblivious to all this, was so excited he felt like singing while boiling hot pot — I've got money, I've got money, I don't even know how to spend it, a Nokia in my left hand, a Motorola in my right!

Of course, this existed only in the Chongzhen Emperor's imagination, because while six million-plus taels of silver sounded like an enormous sum, once it was spread across a colossal empire like the Ming, it really didn't amount to much.

Especially with over ten million taels in back pay still owed to the border armies.

……

Once past September, this godforsaken place called Pidao never got warm no matter how much the sun shone. Even if it warmed up a little at noon, the mornings and evenings still made you feel the chill seeping from your skin right down to your bones.

In the ninth month of the seventh year of Tianqi, with the year's end fast approaching, the temperature here dropped even lower, and the island's inhabitants would never leave their houses if they could help it.

In the north, you never got the southern situation of "It's winter, the house is too cold, let's go outside and warm up" — here it was always "It's too cold outside, we're not going out today."

Yet early this morning, the people of Pidao had all come out early — not to bask in the sun, but because an imperial envoy had arrived and needed to be welcomed.

Being called out of your house in freezing weather to welcome an imperial envoy — it was hard to imagine anyone being happy about it.

"What's gotten into His Majesty, suddenly remembering a godforsaken place like ours?"

"It can't be another order pressing us to go into battle, can it?"

"I wonder if the envoy brought any pay this time. The rations and pay have been delayed for years — our families ran out of food long ago."

"Who knows. It's already good enough that His Majesty even remembered a place like ours exists. As for pay — don't hold your breath."

"I heard that when His Majesty was still Prince of Xin, he was already dissatisfied with Wei Zhongxian and placed great trust in the worthy men of the Donglin Faction. I reckon His Majesty has probably purged the eunuch faction, and we'll have good days ahead."

"Where did this idiot come from? Purged the eunuch faction? Are you a goddamn pig? Every time our Marshal asked for provisions, wasn't it the eunuch faction you're talking about that allocated them to us? When have the Donglin gentlemen ever remembered grunts like us?"

"Fuck. Could it be that because our pay and provisions were always allocated by the eunuch faction, His Majesty now considers us part of the eunuch faction? Now that His Majesty has killed off the eunuch faction, is he taking us out as rebels too?"

"No way, right? If we're rebels too, then why are we still busting our asses holding Pidao and fighting the Tartars?"

"Probably not, right? I heard His Majesty was already incomparably sage even before ascending the throne. He wouldn't treat us as rebels, would he?"

As the saying goes, three men make a tiger, and the crowd's words can melt metal. What began as mere curiosity about why an imperial envoy had come to Pidao had, through rumor and chatter, now turned into the Emperor about to seize everyone on Pidao as rebels and arrest them for punishment.

Mao Wenlong was standing at the front of the welcoming party on the dock. Hearing the increasingly absurd buzzing discussion behind him, he turned around and barked: "Silence, all of you!

What kind of spectacle is this racket? The Son of Heaven is brilliant and mighty, his light illuminating ten thousand li.

What you lot are saying will certainly not come to pass. I am still standing here — if anything happens, it starts with me first.

What are you panicking about? Any more of this reckless talk, and you'll be punished for disrupting army morale!"

It had to be said, Mao Wenlong's personal charisma was indeed very high.

In the original history, when Mao Wenlong was arbitrarily executed by "Friend of the Great Jin" Yuan Chonghuan wielding the imperial sword, the entire Dongjiang command instantly fractured, never again able to unite and cause trouble for the Manchu Qing.

Afterwards, the Manchu Qing could confidently bypass the Ning-Jin defense line and push south without worrying about their rear. It must be said that Yuan Chonghuan truly lived up to the great and glorious title of Friend of the Manchu Qing.

With Mao Wenlong's rebuke, the murmuring behind him gradually died down — yet Mao Wenlong's own heart grew increasingly uneasy.

Though as a subject he shouldn't say this, Mao Wenlong still couldn't help but think: the court was simply too much of a trap!

This wretched Dongjiang command was borrowed from Joseon. Supplies and military pay had practically never been seen — they had to figure everything out on their own.

What was even more infuriating was that they didn't even get troop replacements; they had to rely entirely on swindling and press-ganging!

Mao Wenlong was grumbling inwardly when he heard the Vice Regional Commander standing beside him shout: "Marshal, the ship is here!"

Mao Wenlong focused his gaze. A warship, clearly belonging to the Dengzhou-Laizhou Fleet, was slowly approaching.

An imperial envoy had suddenly arrived to deliver an edict, and demanded that all the officers and soldiers of Pidao be assembled before the edict was read. Mao Wenlong had been completely baffled when he received the notice.

He also couldn't fathom what new scheme the Son of Heaven might have in mind, and he was even more worried that the Son of Heaven might, on a whim, order him to fight a decisive battle against the Manchu Qing Tartars.

It wasn't impossible. His Majesty had trusted the Donglin people even before ascending the throne.

Those civil officials were all rotten — they knew nothing of military strategy yet always loved to run their mouths. That bastard Yang Hao had practically gambled away the Ming's entire fortune in a single battle!

Because Pidao was so far from the Ming mainland, news of many things did not arrive in a timely manner — especially the matter of the Chongzhen Emperor having the former Chief Grand Secretary Han Kuang flayed and stuffed with straw.

At present, the commoners in the capital all knew that the sitting Chief Grand Secretary Huang Liji had embezzled over six million taels of silver, so they all said the Son of Heaven had done well to kill him.

Beyond the capital region, however, rumors had already begun to spread that the Son of Heaven was bloodthirsty and must be a tyrant.

Of course, the ones spreading these rumors were all scholars. As far as the common people were concerned, what was wrong with a good emperor who decreed that taxes would never be raised executing a few ministers? Those treacherous officials surely deserved to die!

No matter what Mao Wenlong was thinking, the envoy's ship drew closer and closer and finally docked at the pier. Once the envoy disembarked, Mao Wenlong's heart grew even more uneasy.

The imperial envoy who disembarked was not some civil or military official, but a eunuch who, by the look of him, held no low rank. Behind him followed over a dozen rather imposing Han Generals of the Guard.

Mao Wenlong hurried forward to greet him and said to the envoy: "You have come a long way, Envoy, and must be weary. I have already ordered food and wine prepared. But Liaodong is a bitter, cold land — for any inadequacy in our hospitality, I earnestly beg the Envoy's forgiveness."

Mao Wenlong's posture was extremely deferential.

In truth, Mao Wenlong had not only prepared food and wine, but had also done his utmost to ready five hundred taels of silver.

For a frontier commander like Mao Wenlong, expecting these damned eunuchs to be of any help was impossible, but if they wanted to make trouble, it only took a twist of their lips!

The imperial envoy who had come to deliver the edict was none other than Wang Cheng'en, who was normally never far from the Chongzhen Emperor's side.

In the Chongzhen Emperor's plans, Pidao was a crucial piece — both for the future and even for the present. The excessively cautious Chongzhen Emperor truly did not trust anyone else to deliver the edict, so in the end he dispatched Wang Cheng'en.

Because to the Chongzhen Emperor, no one was more trustworthy than Fang Zhenghua — the Invincible East who had died in battle for the nation — and Wang Cheng'en, who had accompanied him to hang himself on Coal Hill.

Sect Leader Dongfang's martial prowess was peerless and he needed to be kept at his side at all times as a bodyguard, so he had no choice but to send Wang Cheng'en out.

As the eunuch who had been at Chongzhen's side the longest, although the Emperor's thoughts had recently become harder to fathom, for Wang Cheng'en, who regarded Chongzhen as his heaven, he knew very well just how much importance the Emperor placed on Mao Wenlong.

After smiling and waving his hand, Wang Cheng'en said to Mao Wenlong: "Marshal Mao, there's no rush to eat. Before I set out, His Majesty had specific instructions for the officers and soldiers of Pidao."

Seeing that although Mao Wenlong's face remained impassive, a flicker of worry passed through his eyes, Wang Cheng'en smiled and said: "Rest easy, Marshal. What I've come for this time is good news!

Have all the officers and soldiers proceed to the parade ground so that I may proclaim His Majesty's verbal decree and the edict for Marshal Mao."

Seeing this, Mao Wenlong felt somewhat reassured. He then led the group, clustering around Wang Cheng'en and his party, toward the parade ground.

Arriving at the parade ground, Wang Cheng'en ascended the review platform.

Behind him, a row of Han Generals of the Guard stood neatly in formation — this was in case Wang Cheng'en's voice alone could not carry far enough, so a dozen or so particularly loud-voiced Han Generals had been specially selected.

Wang Cheng'en would speak a line, and they would shout it after him, ensuring that everyone on the parade ground could hear.

On the review platform, seeing that everyone had taken their positions, Wang Cheng'en nodded and said: "I shall now proclaim His Majesty's verbal decree." With that, he flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand. The dozen-odd Han Generals behind him shouted out Wang Cheng'en's words in unison.

"We, the Emperor of the Great Ming, say to the officers and soldiers far away on Pidao in Liaodong, who have fought bloody battles to defend the Great Ming: You have worked hard! Your back pay — We shall issue it to you today!"

(End of chapter)