Chapter 425: First Obsequious, Then Arrogant—Thinking of It Is Laughable

Zhu Zhu Yijun had firmly decided to clash with the Left Wing for twenty-five years; he prepared himself, knowing he must achieve a decisive outcome—either the Great Ming would fully sinicize the Tatars, or the Tatars would rebel against heaven.

The Left Wing of Altan Khan was far stronger than the Right Wing under the Tumens Khan; even though the Tumens Khan was the nominal Great Khan, a Great Khan who had lost control of the Left Wing, the Outer Khalkha, and the Oirats was truly feeble, while the Left Wing nominally held sway over the Right Wing, the Outer Khalkha, the Western Regions, and even parts of the Sichuan-Tibetan tribal domains—a colossal power.

Zhu Zhu Yijun's conservative estimation of the enemy factored in the possibility that these forces would throw their full weight behind Altan Khan, hence the twenty-five-year plan—but he slightly miscalculated: the Left Wing of the Tatars was indeed strong, but only to a limited extent; these powers chose to stand idly by, offering all support except direct military aid.

The Great Ming's elite capital troops had driven deep into the Daqingshan Mountains, now just a hundred li from Jining Hazi; in the Datong direction, the Great Ming's guard forces had again stationed themselves at Dongshengwei; Altan Khan dispatched two myriarchies to reclaim Dongshengwei, but they were repelled in defeat.

Dongshengwei, a strategic must-contest location: from the right, it threatened Bansheng and Guihuacheng; from the left, it threatened the entire Ordos Plain—it was the key to the region. The actual troop strength under Datong's Regional Commander Jiao Su Chengxun, as verified by Viceroy Wu Wu Baipeng, was this number.

When Wang Wang Chonggu served as Viceroy of Xuan-Da, in Emperor Longqing Fifth Year, the court was informed that Datong's guard forces numbered over 90,000 men on paper—more than double the actual strength—this was Wang Wang Chonggu's doing, this was the Jin Party's doing.

In Emperor Wanli First Year, after being crushed by Zhang Zhang Juzheng's iron fist, Wang Wang Chonggu returned to Xuan-Da to plug the gaps in the Great Wall; these 130,000 guard troops had dwindled to this number due to desertion, absenteeism, battle losses, illness, demobilization, and purges; by Emperor Wanli Second Year, the Jin Party was still siphoning off over 10,000 men's pay.

Throughout this process, the Great Ming's frontier troops had not actually decreased—the shrinkage was only in phantom payrolls; Zhu Zhu Yijun ultimately chose to turn a blind eye and let bygones be bygones; after Emperor Wanli First Year, Wang Wang Chonggu chose to submit and accomplished many concrete tasks, and with his cover-up, it was at least passable.

The reduction in phantom payrolls came mainly from demobilization and civilian reassignment; under the Great Ming's nine-front military colony system, each military household was required to provide only one soldier, but due to war with the Tatars, each household in Datong and Xuanfu sent two or three men—these were conscripts, a desperate measure; now that peace had been negotiated, they could be demobilized and reassigned as civilians.

Additionally, there was the purge of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled, further reducing phantom payrolls.

After Zhang Zhang Sizheng's head fell, Wu Wu Baipeng, as a Zhe Party member, became Viceroy of Xuan-Da and finally conducted a thorough audit, ultimately confirming this number and establishing the official roster; interestingly, Wu Wu Baipeng also used the pretext of purging to reduce the numbers—everyone saved face, no one exposed the Jin Party's phantom payroll fraud, no one weighed the matter on the scales.

Demobilization, purging, and other measures were all cover-ups.

The main reason Zhu Zhu Yijun did not dwell on the Jin Party's phantom payrolls was that the Jin Party itself had not pocketed much—the Great Ming was truly destitute then; the capital's budget could only cover three months, and the frontier regions were perpetually in arrears.

It could be said not that the Jin Party was embezzling, but that it was leading Datong-Xuanfu's frontier officers and soldiers in a struggle with the court for pay.

This was the contradiction: the Jin Party controlled the Datong-Xuanfu guard forces precisely because these forces had their own interests and needed the Jin Party to realize them—a vicious cycle: the court could not pay full wages, so the Jin Party inflated troop numbers to secure pay, the court could pay less, phantom numbers grew, until a dead end formed that could only be broken by decapitation.

Wu Wu Baipeng was no supernatural being with three heads and six arms; the reason he could squeeze out the phantom pay was simply that the court was now paying full wages!

This was an account no one could fully reconcile—who was right, who was wrong? In years of administrative handling, Zhu Zhu Yijun found that many matters had no clear right or wrong.

Wu Wu Baipeng and Jiao Su Chengxun knew their 50,000 men could not defeat Altan Khan; thus, after the offensive began, they constructed three defensive lines along the Great Wall: the outer six forts anchored by Dongshengwei, the Great Wall line anchored by Datong Right Guard, and the inner five forts anchored by Gaoshanwei.

In responding to Li Li Rusong's offensive, Altan Khan committed only one myriarchy—to block the advance of the Great Ming's capital troops; in the Datong direction, especially at Dongshengwei, he deployed two myriarchies.

Altan Khan's strategic thinking aligned perfectly with Dong Dong Huzi: Qi Qi Jiguang's elite capital troops were too strong to confront head-on, but could he not defeat Datong and Xuanfu's guard forces? So he concentrated superior forces to break through the Great Wall, press toward Datong Prefecture, and force the Great Ming army to retreat.

Wu Wu Baipeng and Jiao Su Chengxun knew their strength well; they did not attack, but defended.

Zhu Zhu Yijun did not fully understand the battlefield situation and summoned Ma Fang, the Director of the Martial Academy, for clarification.

"Your servant pays homage to His Majesty; may His Majesty's health be well." Ma Fang, seeing the emperor in high spirits, knew fresh victory reports had arrived.

"Stand down." Zhu Zhu Yijun handed the victory report to Director Ma Fang.

Ma Fang took out his reading glasses, studied it long, then smiled: "Your Majesty, the frontier troops' combat power is weak and they lack offensive strength, but their defense is well-organized; Dongshengwei appears on the verge of collapse, yet it held firm against two myriarchies."

"This time they held; Altan Khan will never capture Dongshengwei again. Warfare is complex, yet simple: first strike with full force, second strike weakens, third strike exhausts. Altan Khan failed once; to try again, his morale is broken—it's as hard as climbing to heaven."

Zhu Zhu Yijun shook his head: "The frontier troops' combat power is weak, yet they receive little pay. A capital troop soldier earns eighteen taels a year; frontier troops earn less than ten. A capital troop soldier's equipment averages twenty-four taels; frontier troops get less than four. They get paid according to their capacity—this is as it should be."

Zhu Zhu Yijun's expectation of frontier troops was merely to hold their ground, not to launch expeditions beyond the frontier—they received so little in rations and pay.

Zhu Zhu Yijun looked at Ma Fang, frowning: "General Ma, I am puzzled: why construct three defensive lines in the Datong direction? If the troops at Dongshengwei's outer six forts know there's another line behind them, they'll lose their will to fight; if they falter, they'll immediately retreat to the next line."

"I thought this way, but now that Dongshengwei's outer six forts have held, I'm even more puzzled—why?"

Zhu Zhu Yijun voiced his doubt: did deploying three defensive lines inside and outside the Great Wall truly make sense? Yet the results seemed excellent.

Ma Fang glanced at the emperor: the bad news was the emperor had no military talent; the good news was he never commanded troops in battle!

Answering this question was simple.

"Your Majesty, only elite troops can burn their boats; with the current strength of the capital troops, they could march directly from Xuanfu to Bansheng and have an 80% chance of capturing it outright," Ma Fang first answered why three defensive lines were needed.

Frontier troops were not capital troops, not elite; burning boats, launching thousand-li raids—these tactics belonged exclusively to elite generals and elite armies, not frontier troops.

Ma Fang elaborated: "Your Majesty, frontier troops are complex—criminals, refugees, bankrupts fill their ranks; under discipline, they're contained, but if the situation spirals, their destructive potential is terrifying. In Xuan-Da, the Ordos, and the Shaan-Gan frontiers, Han and Hu live mixed; if there's no rear line, no fallback, soldiers lose their will to fight—no retreat means low morale, leading to mutiny, collapse, or even flight and defection."

"With a retreat route, morale holds."

"At the end of the Northern Song, Emperor Gaozong hastily ascended; the Jin invaded southward; they could barely construct a single Two Huai River defense line. After Du Chong defected, the entire line collapsed; the Jin captured Hangzhou and Lin'an, hunting Emperor Gaozong across mountains and seas."

Ma Fang used this specific example to analyze: during the early Southern Song, the "hunt for Zhao Gou" campaign—when the Southern Song had only one defense line, the Song troops along it chose surrender and flight, not burning their boats.

"In the Datong direction, we have three lines: outer six forts, the Great Wall, inner five forts. Viceroy Wu and Commander Jiao's first priority is to ensure defeat without collapse—plan for failure before victory; they've already secured an unbreakable position."

Defeat without collapse—what a luxurious concept. Since fleeing north in Emperor Jiajing Nineteen, Ma Fang had fought for the Great Ming for decades; these Emperor Wanli years were the only time he'd ever had the luxury of planning for failure before victory. He was old; he'd lost the fire of youth.

The Great Ming's military merit system was now line-based, not head-count-based; this was why Wu Wu Baipeng dared to plan this way: as long as defeat without collapse was ensured and the line held, the mission was accomplished—Altan Khan would then face the threat of Qi Qi Jiguang's blade piercing his heart.

"I understand now. Thank you, General Ma." Zhu Zhu Yijun's doubts were fully resolved.

"Your Majesty, I have one word to say." Ma Fang was now retired at the Martial Academy; he should have stayed clear of court intrigues, but after much thought, he felt compelled to speak for Qi Qi Jiguang.

Nine years had passed since the capital troops were formed; Ma Fang had partnered with Qi Qi Jiguang for eight. Were Qi Qi Jiguang and Li Li Rusong cowards? Men who emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood—could they fear death?

"What advice do you offer, General Ma?" Zhu Zhu Yijun valued Ma Fang's opinion deeply; his experience was the Great Ming's precious treasure. He could no longer wield a sword on the battlefield, but his wisdom ensured the court's strategic calculations avoided fundamental errors.

Ma Fang's face grew grave: "Lately, in the Martial Academy, I've heard some say Qi Qi Jiguang is timid and Li Li Rusong is cowardly. Your Majesty, such talk is truly speaking from comfort without knowing hardship."

"Indeed, Commander Qi now leads elite troops on a forced march to Bansheng; he has an 80% chance of capturing it outright. But what of the remaining 20%? If defeated, there are no fortresses along the steppe; defeat would be catastrophic, the elite forces annihilated—a disaster of immense proportions."

"Commander Qi is not timid—he holds the imperial sword granting him authority to execute first and report later, to act independently beyond the frontier. Greater power means greater responsibility; he must consider many things, hence his cautious steps."

"The Great Ming has no second Yu Qian."

Yu Qian had military talent; Zhang Zhang Juzheng did not. If Qi Qi Jiguang truly lost the capital troops in the steppe, how great a chaos would the Great Ming face?

Ma Fang had heard whispers in court and was concerned: the scale of troops mobilized in this campaign was enormous; could the Great Ming's finances sustain such a war? Ma Fang had endured hardship for so long—he naturally worried that under the pressure of fiscal precision, the emperor might make choices detrimental to the war.

Hearing Ma Fang's advice, Zhu Zhu Yijun laughed brightly: "Ha! General Ma, you overthink. It's not that I despise these base scholars—when Commander Qi was in the capital, he was utterly silent, dared not utter a word; now that he leads troops beyond the frontier, their courage has finally grown! First obsequious, then arrogant—thinking of it is laughable."

"General Ma, do you believe that when Commander Qi returns victorious, they'll fall silent—even sing his praises?"

The Huang family of Penglai's young master, Huang, had caused so many scandals in the capital—yet not a single court official dared speak; now that Commander Qi was away, these base scholars began their laughable monkey show.

Hearing this, Ma Fang's worries lifted: good news—the emperor mocked these base scholars' antics.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Secretary and the Deputy Grand Secretary are quarreling outside the Imperial Study, demanding audience!" A eunuch spoke trembling; Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Wang Wang Chonggu were the empire's Grand and Deputy Secretaries—if they quarreled like this, would the Great Ming not shake?

Even at their fiercest, Zhang Zhang Juzheng and Wang Wang Chonggu had never quarreled so intensely.

"Who? Summon them!" Zhu Zhu Yijun's face hardened; the conflict between the Jin Party and the Zhang Party had never escalated to the point of their leaders tearing each other's faces off.

"Your servants pay homage to Your Majesty." Zhang Zhang Juzheng led Wang Wang Chonggu in a bow.

"Stand down. Sit and speak. What has happened to make you two so enraged?" Zhu Zhu Yijun asked, puzzled by their lingering fury.

They had turned red-faced.

"Grand Secretary's merit to the state is undeniable; he calls me a traitor—I accept it, for I am a traitor. But he claims my 'Memorial on Alleviating the Plight of the Vagabonds' is flawed, and profoundly so—I cannot accept it!" Wang Wang Chonggu swept his sleeve, voice loud.

Since returning to the capital as Minister of Justice, Wang Wang Chonggu had avoided conflict with Zhang Zhang Juzheng; Zhang Zhang Juzheng's iron hand—he could not fight, so he retreated.

But today Zhang Zhang Juzheng summoned Wang Wang Chonggu to the Wenyuange and declared his "Memorial on Alleviating the Plight of the Vagabonds" flawed—he refused to accept it!

You, Zhang Zhang Juzheng, have your path to eternal glory; do I, Wang Wang Chonggu, not deserve mine?

The "Memorial on Alleviating the Vagabonds" and the state-run workshops were Wang Wang Chonggu's great path; Zhang Zhang Juzheng opened his mouth and declared his path flawed—Wang Wang Chonggu had refrained from overturning the table only out of fear of Zhang Zhang Juzheng's authority; this was merely slapping the table and shouting.

"Flawed is flawed—did I speak wrongly? If I spoke rightly, how could this happen? I summoned you to discuss it; you, instead, slap the table in the Wenyuange! You insist on bringing it before His Majesty? Then I won't shield you!" Zhang Zhang Juzheng produced two memorials, handed them to Zhang Hong, who presented them to the emperor.

"Let His Majesty judge!" Wang Wang Chonggu shouted.

Clearly, Zhang Zhang Juzheng was furious; Wang Wang Chonggu matched him blow for blow, refusing any concession.

Must only Zhang Zhang Juzheng be loyal to the sovereign and serve the state? Am I, Wang Wang Chonggu, not allowed to contribute to the Great Ming's greatness?

Feng Bao rushed in from outside; he had been on duty at the Si Li Wang Jian's Half-Room, heard the Grand and Deputy Secretaries were quarreling, and hurried over.

He came not to mediate—he couldn't mediate—he came to watch the show!

Zhu Zhu Yijun finished reading the memorials, his face grave; he looked at the two furious ministers and reaffirmed his thought: the court absolutely needed a peacemaker like Wu Wan Shihe.

"Master, don't be angry. When Yang Bo opposed your Kaicheng Law, you punched Yang Bo and kicked Wang Wang Chonggu out of the Zhao Wenhua Palace." Zhu Zhu Yijun recalled the past—ostensibly calming Zhang Zhang Juzheng, but also defending Wang Wang Chonggu.

Yang Bo opposed the Kaicheng Law and the shackling of officials, aiming to win over Zhang Zhang Juzheng and unite Chu and Jin; the Kaicheng Law enraged all officials; while you were alive, no one dared defy you, but after your death, they would settle accounts with you.

Yang Bo's offer was generous; with Zhang Zhang Juzheng's skill, had he accepted, the Jin Party would have been fully controlled.

Even so, Zhang Zhang Juzheng expelled both Yang Bo and Wang Wang Chonggu from court.

When his great path was questioned, Wang Wang Chonggu's reaction was already exemplary.

Zhu Zhu Yijun turned to Wang Wang Chonggu, thought a moment, then said: "Deputy Grand Secretary, I know you are loyal and devoted to the state. Why so alarmed? In development, contradictions arise sequentially; resolve one, another emerges. Your 'Memorial on Alleviating the Vagabonds' has no flaw, but minor imperfections are normal."

"Deputy Grand Secretary misunderstands Master; he summoned you to the Wenyuange to help you identify gaps and improve—not to humiliate you, nor to provoke factional strife. Had he intended factional strife, why not wait until the Zhao Wenhua Palace court session? You'd have lost face entirely."

"During the Song dynasties, coal was state-monopolized; in Kaifeng, one jin of coal cost two hundred wen. Master is merely helping you identify gaps in your memorial."

Zhu Zhu Yijun defined the matter: the state-run workshops had indeed developed inevitable problems.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng said nothing—implicitly conceded. In truth, Zhang Zhang Juzheng had no intention of helping—he was merely warning Wang Wang Chonggu: the Great Ming's army campaigns on the steppe—Jin Party, behave. If some "Chinese person" in the Jin Party causes defeat, the emperor's guillotine will fall on Wang Wang Chonggu too.

He didn't say it plainly because he gave the emperor face; the emperor had stepped in as mediator—Zhang Zhang Juzheng continuing to scold would be disrespectful.

Wang Wang Chonggu insisted on bringing the quarrel before the emperor to save face; as Jin Party leader, he couldn't let Zhang Zhang Juzheng strike at will—he had dignity too. Bringing it before the emperor gave him a way to retreat.

They were grown men, quarreling until red-faced, even dragging it before the emperor—merely actors.

Zhu Zhu Yijun watched the two ministers, understood their quarrel was performance; he spoke to reconcile—the play ended. He picked up the memorials again, studied them closely.

The Great Ming's state-run workshops had problems; as Zhu Zhu Yijun said, the Song courts excelled at raising revenue—salt, iron, coal, wine, alum—all state monopolies; these monopolies became blades cutting into the people. The Song's four million Xiangjun (criminal soldiers, composed of refugees) were heavily tied to the court's insatiable demands.

The Great Ming's state-run workshops had just begun, yet problems already emerged. These two memorials addressed two issues: rigidity and bloat, both leading inevitably to corruption.

Rigidity: the state-run workshops had become rigid to varying degrees. Specifically, the Fujian Li Zhizao had incurred losses; in such a profitable industry as silk, losses naturally raised suspicion from the Ministry of Works and the Censorate, triggering an audit. When no Ministry task existed, the entire Fujian Li Zhizao remained idle, yet labor payments continued on the books.

But the Censorate and Ministry of Works investigations revealed otherwise: labor payments listed on the books never reached the weavers—someone was embezzling; the idle weaving bureau was not idle—it was operating; where did the finished silk go?

Bloat: a phenomenon similar to phantom payrolls emerged. In the Songjiang Shipyard—the Great Ming's pioneer in opening the seas and flagship state workshop—a spring audit by Shen Shen Shixing found 124 shipyards with varying degrees of phantom payrolls; some claimed illness, caring for elderly or sick parents, travel, and remained on the rolls for one to three years without reporting—mostly managers: deputies, assistants, head foremen.

One shipyard with 400 craftsmen had over 100 managers—these 100 men drew pay without working; the bloated management was inevitably linked to phantom payrolls.

In Songjiang Shipyard alone, over 452 men drew imperial salaries but never reported for duty; over 1,000 men reported for duty less than one month per year.

Shen Shen Shixing uncovered a clear profit chain: these phantom payrolls, besides the recipients, also funneled part of the money to the workshop's administrative clerks—the reason these clerks turned a blind eye.

Those who rose to Grand Secretary and held office for years were no simple men; Shen Shen Shixing traced the causes of declining output and rising costs, and provided a complete solution: organizational streamlining, oversight mechanisms, and crucially, punishment.

With the emperor's vermilion approval, Shen Shen Shixing could cut down these parasites with a broad axe.

"I believe Secretary Shen's methods are effective. Rigidity and bloat cannot be solved by merely replacing the director; we must address institutional foundations and turn the blade inward." Zhu Zhu Yijun approved Shen Shen Shixing's memorial, stamped it.

On the issue of the Grand and Deputy Secretaries' quarrel, Zhu Zhu Yijun did not punish both equally—he still supported Zhang Zhang Juzheng. Yet Wang Wang Chonggu's outburst was not without gain: the emperor reprimanding his ministers was natural; through this near-farcical act, he had tested the emperor's true stance.

Of course there'd be no problems on the path to development—that would be absurd; the real danger lies in the hidden currents. Don't fear problems—fear ignoring them, evading them, sweeping them under the rug, letting them fade away. These small ailments will slowly accumulate until they become colossal, and the grand edifice you've painstakingly built will collapse in an instant.

Zhu Zhu Yijun, Zhang Zhang Juzheng, and Wang Wang Chonggu briefly discussed matters and agreed to hold a court deliberation the next day.

"Your servants take their leave," said Zhang Zhang Juzheng, Wang Wang Chonggu, and Ma Fang as they withdrew from the Imperial Study.

Outside the door, Ma Fang ignored the other two, bowed slightly, and left directly. The two men who had just been locked in bitter argument now showed no trace of hostility.

"Wang, your tactics are truly masterful," Zhang Zhang Juzheng said, right hand held steady, left hand behind his back, fixing Wang Wang Chonggu with a cold gaze. "His Majesty has seen through it all. Let me remind you: keep a tight leash on your own men. If any of them aid Altan Khan, the bone-splitting knives outside Wumen are sharp enough."

"It's only thanks to your cooperation, Zhang Yuanfu," Wang Wang Chonggu replied calmly. "His Majesty sees clearly, and your warning has been noted. I'll watch my own men—of course I will. You know His Majesty can kill, but in this world, some things are worse than death. Let him act, and men simply die. But internal strife within these walls? That's far more than mere death."

"Good," Zhang Zhang Juzheng nodded, deeply approving of Wang Wang Chonggu's methods.

If Wang Wang Chonggu moved, he'd drain his enemies dry, leave them drowning in debt, force their women into prostitution, their men into slavery. The ringleaders would be locked together and starved to death.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng had heard how, in his youth, Wang Wang Chonggu punished a traitor by locking dozens of people in a room. Eighteen days later, when the door opened, only one living thing remained. In their desperation, the others had become food. That time, Wang Wang Chonggu's eldest son, Wang Yi, had been killed while trading beyond the northern frontier—by defectors from the Northern Barbarians.

Those Northern Barbarians who defected were never pardoned; they were registered as lowborn. When lowborn died, no one cared.

"Zhang Yuanfu, didn't we originally advocate for peace? The Emperor Longqing peace accord was our doing—yours, Gao Gong's, Yang Bo's, and mine. Now we're fighting again—won't someone use this as an excuse to stir trouble?" Wang Wang Chonggu asked softly.

Zhang Zhang Juzheng replied calmly: "When we agreed to peace, we said it was to conserve strength, rebuild our military, and strike again later. Isn't today's war exactly what we planned?"

"You truly are a scholar!" Wang Wang Chonggu exclaimed in awe.

"Conserve strength, rebuild power for the future"—that was just a lie they told when they couldn't fight anymore, a deception to fool others!

Yet the course of events made the lie come true. Zhang Zhang Juzheng really was a scholar—he could lie with such unshakable sincerity.

"I think it, I say it, and I do it," Zhang Zhang Juzheng said, turning to leave. Many draft memorials still awaited him in the Zhang Wenyuan Pavilion.

(End of Chapter)