Chapter 187: 185: Chongzhen's Efforts

The Hall of Literary Splendor.

Sovereign and ministers alike kept silent; a deathly stillness reigned.

Today was the twenty-first day of the first month. The ten-day Lantern Festival holiday was not yet over, yet the Emperor had urgently summoned the grand ministers of the cabinets, ministries, courts, and offices to deliberate.

As for those rebels in Jiangxi — though the cult bandits of Yanshan and Nanfeng had been annihilated, and though the bandit forces of southern Jiangxi had been mopped up — the rebel Zhao of Luling was growing more rampant by the day. The court had even credited Zhao Han with the territory of the Sweeping King, believing that Zhao Han had already expanded into three prefectures and seventeen counties.

Incidentally, just a short while ago, the Sweeping King had attempted to expand westward and failed in an attack on Chaling County in Huguang, after which he plundered the villages and market towns of Chaling County on a massive scale.

Grand Secretary Qian Shisheng cupped his hands and said, "Li Maofang has been extorting excessive taxes and levies in Jiangxi, and has repeatedly shown cowardice in the face of the enemy. He should be recalled to the capital for punishment. Xue Guoguan, having recommended a man unfit for office, should also be held accountable."

Li Maofang's appointment as Governor of Jiangxi had indeed been recommended by Xue Guoguan.

Unfortunately, Xue Guoguan had returned home for funeral mourning and was still in his mourning period.

The longer he reigned, the more irascible Chongzhen's temper grew; before him lay a hopeless mess in every corner of the realm.

"Remove Li Maofang, and who is fit for this post?" Chongzhen struggled to suppress the fury in his heart and asked in a tone that seemed exceedingly calm.

No one spoke.

Chongzhen pointed at random. "You speak!"

Grand Secretary Kong Zhenyun had no choice but to step forward. "Zhu Xieyuan, Governor-General of Yunnan and Guizhou, could serve as Governor of Jiangxi. Although four provinces are jointly suppressing the bandits, Guangdong and Guangxi are beset by popular uprisings on all sides and lack unified command. Shen Youlong should be removed from his post as Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, retaining only his position as Governor of Guangdong. Zhu Xieyuan should be reassigned as Governor-General of the five provinces of Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and Zhejiang, concurrently serving as Governor of Jiangxi, to concentrate the forces of five provinces in encircling and annihilating the rebel Zhao of Luling."

Grand Secretary Zhang Zhifa added, "The troops of Huguang, though they have gone north to encircle and suppress the roving bandits, should have a governor or a Regional Commander established on Huguang's southern circuit, likewise under the Governor-General's command. Only thus can a complete encirclement be formed against the rebel Zhao."

"Zhejiang must not mobilize its troops!" Hou Xun hastily stepped forward to object.

Sovereign and ministers fell silent.

The court's fiscal revenues were now gravely insufficient, sustained entirely by the Southern Metropolitan Area and Zhejiang. Zhejiang truly could not mobilize its troops, or the state's finances would utterly collapse.

As for Fujian and Guangdong, they could fight all they wanted there; the tax revenues those two provinces contributed were negligible.

After careful consideration, Chongzhen declared, "Censure Li Maofang, Governor of Jiangxi, to return to the capital. Transfer Zhu Xieyuan to serve as Governor of Jiangxi, with supreme command over the military affairs of Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, and the southern circuit of Huguang! Bestow upon him the Imperial Sword!"

Zhu Xieyuan had once held the title of Minister of War (an honorary post) while serving as Governor-General of the five provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hunan, and Guangxi, spending several years quelling the She-An Rebellion. For his merits, he was granted the title of Left Pillar of State, and one of his sons was given the hereditary post of Embroidered Uniform Guard Assistant Regional Commander.

It was only after the roving bandits in the northwest grew powerful that the military affairs of Sichuan and Huguang were reassigned to the Governor-General of the Five Provinces in the north.

This old fellow was not easy to fool. The She-An Rebellion had spread across several provinces, and he had defeated over a hundred thousand tribal rebel troops in successive battles.

Of course, there were still several remnant bands of rebels not yet wiped out, and no one knew whether Guizhou would erupt into chaos again after Zhu Xieyuan's departure.

With the major matter settled, Chongzhen said angrily, "Yang Jiamo, Regional Commander of Jiangxi, under the pretext of suppressing bandits, led his troops to plunder villages and market towns, only to be captured alive by a mob of peasants, which also led to the fall of Fengcheng County. How shall this man be dealt with?"

Solving problems was difficult, but solving people was simple. A conclusion was quickly reached in the discussion: Yang Jiamo's entire clan was to be banished into military exile.

As for Zhang Yinggao, who had died by suicide for his country, because he had merit in annihilating the cult bandits of Yanshan and Nanfeng and had died a heroic death for his country, he was posthumously promoted to Left Provincial Administration Commissioner of Jiangxi, and one of his sons was granted the hereditary post of Embroidered Uniform Guard Centurion.

The Chief Grand Secretary, Wen Tiren, did not speak a single word throughout.

Precisely because of this, Wen Tiren gained ever more of the Emperor's trust. He was already Grand Secretary of the Hall of Established Supremacy, Junior Preceptor, and concurrently Grand Preceptor of the Crown Prince, bearing the title of Minister of Personnel.

Chongzhen asked again, "Yang Jiamo has been captured alive by the rebels. Who shall serve as Regional Commander of Jiangxi?"

Lin Han was already gravely ill and near death, and no longer had so many scruples. He stepped out of line and said, "Jiangxi is crisscrossed by waterways; to suppress the bandits, a naval force must be raised. Zhu Guoxun, Vice Regional Commander of Fujian, excels at naval warfare and could serve as Regional Commander of Jiangxi."

Seeing no one object, and having no better choice himself, Chongzhen nodded and said, "Approved."

Three years earlier, when Zheng Zhilong had been promoted to Mobile Corps Commander, Zhu Guoxun had also been promoted to Company Commander.

These Fujian military officers rose at breakneck speed by farming pirates. In three years, Zhu Guoxun had gone from Company Commander to Vice Regional Commander, and now he was about to be promoted yet again to Regional Commander of Jiangxi.

The matters had essentially all been decided when Qian Shisheng suddenly interjected, "Since the rebel Zhao of Luling is so difficult to suppress, might we attempt to offer amnesty and enlistment, ordering him to lead his troops north to assist in suppressing the roving bandits?"

All were shocked; no one had expected that within the Grand Secretariat there was still someone who dared to speak so recklessly.

Chongzhen abruptly snatched up a copy of The Great Unity Collection and hurled it at Qian Shisheng. "Read it yourself!"

Curious, Qian Shisheng picked it up. The book was not long, and a cursory reading could be finished quickly. The more he read, the more alarmed he became, and he no longer dared to utter a single word. In terms of its nature alone, the rebel Zhao of Luling was far more serious than the roving bandits of the northwest!

Because the rebel Zhao of Luling had already put forward a theory of rebellion, and had even proposed a governing platform.

What infuriated Chongzhen most was that the rebel Zhao of Luling actually strictly enforced The Great Ming Code, and even said that if only the Emperor would do the same, he would go to Beijing himself to submit to punishment and die.

Chongzhen felt a profound insult — and helplessness!

At this very moment, the grand ministers of the cabinets and ministries who opposed Wen Tiren were, in truth, not focused on suppressing the bandits at all. They were pondering how to use Li Maofang's case to seize the opportunity to prune Wen Tiren's faction.

In their view, the Great Ming had fallen into such a wretched state entirely because a treacherous minister held sway over governance.

Only by excising the treacherous minister Wen Tiren could benevolent governance truly be implemented, and only then could the state gradually begin to recover.

The two sides had already reached a point of irreconcilable enmity. Wen Tiren managed to bring down one or two political enemies every year; if this continued, the cabinets, ministries, courts, and offices would all become Wen Tiren's domain!

The assembled ministers withdrew. Chongzhen sat alone in the Hall of Literary Splendor and once again opened that copy of The Great Unity Collection.

Chen Yuding's secret memorial also included his travelogue of Ji'an. This Censor and Regional Inspector had actually gone to the rebel's territory to conduct an undercover investigation in plain clothes.

After finishing The Great Unity Collection, Chongzhen then read the copy of the secret memorial, which recorded many strange matters.

The records on Zhao Han were the most extensive. He had been identified as a xiucai of Jishui who had risen in revolt because the court had canceled the tax exemptions for xiucai, making it impossible for him to make a living. It also said that Zhao Han was frugal and incorruptible; after his wife became pregnant, he hired a wet nurse, yet still had only seven servants in total. Zhao Han had distributed his landholdings to the common people, keeping only a symbolic one hundred mu for himself, and paid taxes on it every year to set an example.

Zhao Han himself did not even wear silk, dressing only in ordinary cotton clothes.

Zhao Han also treated officials well; the salary of a town chief was already equivalent to that of a Ming County Magistrate.

At the same time, he was adept at bureaucratic governance. Anyone who embezzled more than twenty taels was sentenced to penal labor in the mines. The officials under Zhao Han's rule all dared not engage in corruption or malfeasance.

However, Zhao Han treated the gentry harshly, forcibly redistributing their estates. Even juren who had joined the rebels had to start from the position of a civil clerk.

Zhao Han also undertook water conservancy projects and organized peasants to reclaim wasteland. In all of Jiangxi, only within the rebel Zhao's territory did the grain harvest yield bumper crops year after year. The peasants of his domain knew only of the rebel Zhao, and knew nothing of the Great Ming Emperor.

Furthermore, Zhao Han treated merchants favorably, abolishing all harsh and miscellaneous taxes. Whether they were shopkeepers, factory owners, or traveling merchants, all had already turned their hearts to the rebel. Chen Yuding requested the abolition of the privately established customs barrier at Nanchang.

Reading these contents made Chongzhen's back break out in a cold sweat, thoroughly extinguishing any thought of offering amnesty to the rebel Zhao.

At the same time, Chongzhen felt a twinge of regret; he should not have canceled the tax exemptions for xiucai, which had unexpectedly forced into being such an extraordinary rebel.

Chongzhen even thought to himself that if the rebel Zhao had passed the jinshi examination earlier, perhaps the Great Ming might have gained yet another capable and diligent official.

As Chongzhen rode his imperial palanquin away from the Hall of Literary Splendor, his mind was entirely occupied with the thought of recommending worthy talents. Over the past two years, due to the deterioration of bureaucratic governance, the ministers had been incessantly discussing the restoration of the recommendation system from the early Hongwu years.

It seemed as though, simply by recommending worthy talents for office, the deterioration of bureaucratic governance could be reversed.

Historically, it was indeed restored, and it was implemented rather well.

Large numbers of juren with reputations for virtue, and large numbers of officials of the sixth and seventh ranks with outstanding administrative records, were promoted and appointed through recommendation.

Wen Tiren had originally been a supporter of the recommendation system, hoping to use it to promote his own faction. But halfway through its implementation, Wen Tiren petitioned to abolish the recommendation system, because it had recommended so many Donglin Faction members…

Now Chongzhen turned the matter over and over in his mind, and felt that the recommendation system ought to be restored after all.

A talent like Zhao Yan of Luling could perfectly well be recommended for office. That would both improve local governance and prevent worthy men from turning rebel.

Chongzhen genuinely wanted to revive the nation — or perhaps he was more like a drowning man, desperate to clutch at every floating straw.

The next day, Chongzhen again summoned his ministers to deliberate. After discussions lasting a full half-month, two policies were finally promulgated in the second month of the ninth year of Chongzhen.

First, recommend worthy talents. The target groups were officials below the fifth rank with outstanding administrative achievements, and juren who had repeatedly failed the higher examinations yet enjoyed widespread renown for their virtue.

Second, recommend imperial clan talents, selecting capable and virtuous sons of the imperial house for office.

The recommendation system set numerous thresholds, to prevent the localities from making reckless recommendations. In any case, whoever recommended a man bore responsibility for him; if the recommended person ran into trouble, the recommender had to take the blame.

This was especially true for recommending imperial clan talents. For one clansman to hold office, five clansmen had to stand guarantor. The prince would dispatch his chief clerk to investigate, and the prince himself would review and conduct a personal interview. If problems arose, the prince would suffer for it, and the five clansmen guarantors would suffer too.

The military jinshi Chen Qixin seized the moment to submit a memorial, enumerating the abuses of the examination system.

Officials of the Ministry of Rites also submitted memorials, requesting reform of the provincial and metropolitan examinations: adding subjects such as military treatises and mathematics, and appending mounted archery tests after the results were posted.

Chongzhen actually agreed. He really was making an effort.

But it was utterly useless, because military treatises and mathematics were only tested in the second and third sessions of the examinations, classified as technical subjects alongside official documents, judicial rulings, and policy essays. Yet the emphasis of the examinations was on the humanities, dominated by the eight-legged essay; the technical subjects could at most count as supplementary bonus points.

As for mounted archery, it was set for after the examinations, once the results were posted. No matter how fine one's mounted archery and martial skills, it only meant one might receive weightier employment when offices were assigned.

Still, it could be counted as a kind of progress.

At the very least, jinshi who were proficient in military strategy and martial arts could now be promoted more swiftly, no longer judged solely on their essays on Confucius and Mencius.

Next, Chongzhen issued an imperial edict, proclaiming it to all under Heaven.

Its general content was: an acknowledgment that the rebels in every region had all been driven to revolt by corrupt and cruel officials. So long as they sincerely repented, they could receive amnesty. After surrendering, they were to return to their native places and take up farming; the local authorities were forbidden to discriminate against them, and were to call such people "redeemed refugees," no longer "amnestied rebels." Those among the "redeemed refugees" of outstanding ability could be recruited for office by Governors-General and Supreme Commanders.

Chongzhen had finally compromised.

Even great bandits like Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and Zhao Han, so long as they truly repented, could also hold office at court.

But which rebel would ever believe that?

(The previous chapter was not written clearly and has now been corrected. The assessment of military merit is recorded and reported upward by the army's propaganda officers, but must be jointly decided with the commanding officer and the army judge.)

(End of Chapter)