Chapter 268: Wenyuan Pavilion

ps: Begging for monthly tickets, begging.

The Wenyuan Pavilion in the capital, where the Grand Secretariat of the Great Ming conducted its affairs, was the highest hallowed hall in the hearts and minds of civil officials. Although the Great Ming had no prime minister, when the Senior Grand Secretary held heavy power, he was even more overbearing than the prime ministers of old. He would even stick his nose into how much silver the Emperor spent, which wife he married, which consort he bedded, and which crown prince he installed. If he found an imperial rescript disagreeable, he would simply seal it and return it. The Emperors of the Great Ming, though they could slack off, each lived rather pitifully. It was far more comfortable for the chieftains of our Great Qing later on, who set up a Grand Council to serve as the chieftain's enforcer. When the chieftain spoke, no one dared let out a fart. Someone like Ji Xiaolan only exists on television; the real Ji Xiaolan was scolded by Qianlong as being no better than a kept dog.

After Chongzhen ascended the throne, he had already replaced many cabinet ministers. With chaos sprouting everywhere across the realm, some officials began to fear bearing responsibility. The current situation was that many who could serve as Grand Secretaries were unwilling to continue, while those who couldn't were fighting tooth and nail to get in. In the fourth year of Chongzhen, Qian Xiangkun, Sun Fenghe, and He Ruchong repeatedly petitioned to resign on grounds of old age and illness. After rejecting them several times, Chongzhen finally let them go. The sole exception was Sun Chengzong, who applied for retirement six or seven times in a single year, and the Emperor rejected him every time.

Today, however, the atmosphere inside Wenyuan Pavilion was somewhat stifling. None of the top civil officials made a sound. Because many Grand Secretaries had left their posts last year, the candidates for the vacancies had not yet been decided, so several prospective candidates were also attending the meeting, among them the newly appointed Minister of Personnel, Min Hongxue, and Xu Guangqi. Chongzhen, dressed in a plain, simple everyday robe, coldly scrutinized the officials below.

Wang Chengen's sharp voice rang out as he read a memorial: "Memorial from Shandong Regional Inspector Wang Daochun: Li Jiucheng and Kong Youde of Shandong have risen in revolt. Within days, nine counties fell; within thirty days, Dengzhou Prefecture was lost. Prior to this, the traitor Yuanhua openly communicated with them, and the Relief Commissioner Yu Dacheng bribed his way out of prison. The overturned cart lies ahead, and all men know it. Fortunately, the divine troops of the Wendeng Battalion descended from heaven, and Dengzhou Garrison was recovered. However, the rebel force of nearly ten thousand moved down to Huangxian. The Dengzhou Governor's urgent dispatches still raced down daily, but Huangxian mistook them for Yuanhua leading troops and was thus taken by the rebels. When the rebels breached the city, the county's people all suspected Yuanhua of collusion, hence Daochun's report. Now the bandit Sun still hides among the rebel ranks, and their siege of Laizhou Prefecture has shifted toward Pingdu. The Wendeng Battalion is blocked by the rebel Geng Zhongming in the mountainous, hazardous terrain of Huangxian. Should there be a delay of another ten days, Shandong will no longer belong to Your Majesty. I beg the various ministers of the court to jointly petition the palace gates and exert every effort to protect this endangered territory. The altars of the state would be most fortunate. The realm would be most fortunate."

Chongzhen looked at the silent Grand Secretaries below, and a wave of exhaustion surged in his heart. Dalinghe was still holding out, but no news whatsoever could get through. He did not know how much longer that Junior Tutor Zu could hold on. And now Shandong, which controlled the strategic Grand Canal, was in such chaos. The powerful Dengzhou Garrison, costing nine hundred thousand taels a year, had turned to ruins in the blink of an eye. In his heart, he already hated Sun Yuanhua to the bone.

He suppressed the impulse to curse welling up inside him and said, as calmly as he could manage: "My beloved ministers, you have all heard. Let each of you speak your mind."

Although Liang Tingdong had not yet entered the cabinet, today's discussions mostly involved military matters. As the Minister of War, he was also in attendance. After listening, he looked around at the assembled Grand Secretaries. Seeing everyone was looking at him, he knew he would have to be the first to speak. He could only clear his throat awkwardly and begin: "Reporting to His Majesty, Li Jiucheng is running rampant in Shandong. As Minister of War, I have failed in my handling of the situation and dare not shirk responsibility. I beg to resign from my post as Minister of War, in order to..."

Chongzhen coldly cut him off: "What I want today are plans and strategies. If every man asks to resign when faced with a crisis, what use do I have for a court full of officials?"

Liang Tingdong lowered his head awkwardly and listened. In truth, Chongzhen had a rather good impression of him. Since taking up the post of Minister of War, Liang Tingdong had won quite a few battles, and his memorials and responses showed more strategic sense than the average civil official. Seeing him in this state, Chongzhen felt a twinge of pity. He softened his expression and spoke again: "The Minister of War has achieved much since taking office; I have seen it all. Minister Liang must not belittle himself unduly. First, lay out the strategy in your mind for the various cabinet ministers to consider."

Only then did Liang Tingdong have a way out. He quickly said: "At present, there are four areas under military threat: the roving bandits of Shaanxi and Shanxi, the Jianzhou Bandits at Dalinghe, the sea bandits of Fujian, and finally, Li Jiucheng and his ilk in Shandong. The Fujian sea bandits are a trifling ailment, not worth worrying about for now. The roving bandits of Shaanxi and Shanxi may seem to number in the tens of thousands, but in truth, they cannot withstand a single blow. The most worrisome are the Jianzhou Bandits and Li Jiucheng. Li Jiucheng's rebel army is mostly composed of elite troops from the Dongjiang Garrison. Although they were defeated by the Wendeng Battalion at Dengzhou, their strength is not greatly diminished. Lu Zhi reported that the Wendeng Battalion suffered many losses at Shenmi Island and Dengzhou, and therefore their attacks at Huangxian lack vigor..."

Chongzhen's expression darkened again. Chen Xin's field reports claimed nearly a thousand casualties at Dengzhou. Combined with the battle at Shenmi Island in June, out of his authorized troop strength of 3,500 men, over half of his elite soldiers had been lost.

"I consider Li Jiucheng's situation. Defeated at Dengzhou, his morale has already declined. Yet his ability to block the Wendeng Battalion at Huangxian shows his strength remains. The Wendeng Battalion's elite troops cannot afford further heavy losses. We must transfer powerful troops from elsewhere to rescue Shandong, lest the fertile lands of Jinan and Qingzhou suffer further military calamity."

Chongzhen nodded slightly. At last, he was hearing something concrete. He interjected: "Where are there troops available for use right now?"

"At present, the siege of Dalinghe remains unbroken. There is both the urgency of lifting the siege and the worry of breaches in the Jizhou passes. The troops at Tianjin, Changping, and Miyun are either defending Jizhou or reinforcing Liaodong. The remaining Nine Border Garrisons must guard against both the Tatars and the bandits; there are already no troops to transfer. After repeated calculations, I find only the Tongzhou troops are available. The Vice Regional Commander Yang Yufan is the son of the former Shandong Regional Commander Yang Zhaoji. He possesses much of his father's style and is capable of great responsibility. However, Tongzhou guards the eastern approach to the capital, so I dare not withdraw all of them. The ministry proposes only transferring Vice Regional Commander Yang Yufan's own troops, along with a portion of the forces of Wang Hong of Tianjin and Liu Guozhu of Baoding. We would grant Yang Yufan the title of Regional Commander with overall command of all these forces, and dispatch him to Qingzhou to intercept and block Li Jiucheng's rebel army."

The other Grand Secretaries still listened in silence. They would not easily express an opinion on this matter, because the fighting strength of Li Jiucheng's forces was still formidable. The various units in Shandong could only muster the strength to defend their cities against them. A wrong word could easily lead to someone settling scores later.

Liang Tingdong, seeing no reaction from the group, steeled himself and continued: "Secondly, we can only urge the Wendeng Battalion to exert more effort."

Wen Tiren stood up and said: "Your Majesty, Chen Xin's troops have fought many bloody battles over the past two years. Although Chen Xin is loyal and righteous, he is still made of flesh and blood. At present, the usable troops in the Liaodong sea region are primarily the Wendeng Battalion and the Sichuan troops. But strong soldiers are not easily come by. I beg that the Minister of War not press and urge them too harshly."

The relationship between Wen Tiren and Chen Xin was known throughout the court. Ever since the battle at Gu'an, Chen Xin had been stamped with the mark of Wen's faction, and Wen Tiren never concealed his defense of Chen Xin in court.

Although Liang Tingdong knew this, if the war situation continued to deteriorate, it could threaten his own official position. So he still argued: "In reply to the Elder Sir, I have no intention of pressing Chen Xin. I merely ask that the Wendeng Battalion tie down the rebel army, preventing them from rampaging into Jinan and Qingzhou. Once Commander Yang Yufan's grand army completes its encirclement, we can sweep away Li Jiucheng in one blow."

Chongzhen nodded with satisfaction and said to Wen Tiren in a gentle tone: "Minister Wen speaks reason. The Minister of War's disposition is also appropriate. Let the relevant offices proceed with the swiftest dispatch according to this proposal."

Liang Tingdong had once again passed the hurdle. After taking his seat, he let out a long breath.

"What further measures does the Minister of War have for Dalinghe? Speak of them all together today."

Upon hearing the three words "Dalinghe," Liang Tingdong twitched as if pricked by a needle. This had already become his nightmare. At times, he would rather Zu Dashou be completely annihilated by Huang Taiji in one battle than drag on like this, neither living nor dying.

The assembled Grand Secretaries fell silent once more, each wearing an expression of detachment. Zhou Yanru was like an old monk in deep meditation. He was the Senior Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Grand Secretary of the Jianji Hall, while Wen Tiren and Wu Zongda were Grand Secretaries of the Wuying Hall. There was only one rank's difference between a Grand Secretary and the Senior Grand Secretary, but the gap in power was immense. The incumbent guarded his position, while those below coveted it, and their relationship slowly turned antagonistic.

"This... Your Majesty, I have repeatedly urged the Liaodong Garrison to launch a major relief effort, but... but Grand Coordinator Sun and Qiu Jiahe both insist that the Wendeng Battalion and the Sichuan troops must march together. Only then, they say, is there a chance of victory."

An impatient look appeared on Chongzhen's face. He loudly rebuked: "The Wendeng Battalion is still in Dengzhou and Laizhou. Zu Dashou has already held out for four months. This battle has drawn the eyes of the entire realm. If we simply sit by and watch, how will the realm view me?"

Liang Tingdong's face flushed bright red. He knew those men in the Liaodong Garrison. Once the relief army set out, it would surely be another disastrous defeat, and he would still be the one held responsible in the end.

Just as he was at a loss, Zhou Yanru seemed to awaken from his meditation. He cast a glance at Xu Guangqi, who was also attending the meeting. Xu Guangqi stood up and spoke: "Since the Wendeng Battalion is absolutely necessary to reinforce Liaodong, why not offer amnesty and enlistment to Li Jiucheng's forces? In this way, the Wendeng Battalion could be rapidly transferred to the Liaodong Garrison. Thus, Shandong need not be devastated, the elite troops of various units could be preserved, and the Wendeng Battalion could be drawn off to aid Liaodong. Would this not be better than a campaign of extermination?"

Everyone looked up in surprise, turning their gazes toward this Vice Minister of great prestige and seniority.