Chapter 287: A New Three-Pronged Strategy

"Kill, kill, I must kill Qiu Jiahe, kill Wu Xiang, kill Song Wei…"

In the Hall of Mental Cultivation in the Forbidden City, shattered porcelain covered the floor. Chongzhen's pale face bore a sickly flush, and he roared ceaselessly with a hint of madness.

Liaozhen, which cost millions of taels in annual Liaodong military tax, had once again delivered him good news: of fifty thousand troops, only a few thousand fled back to Jinzhou; countless firearms, cannons, military supplies, horses, and vehicles were lost. The Liaodong tax collected through repeated harsh performance reviews thus turned to nothing in Liaozhen's repeated collapses.

Cao Huachun knelt on the ground, weeping with tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, please take care of your health. If you harm yourself over those wretched soldiers, this slave's sin would be too great."

Chongzhen slumped down dejectedly, sat blankly for a moment, then picked up the field report forwarded by the Ministry of War. Sun Chengzong had already fled back to Ningyuan, leaving Qiu Jiahe alone in Jinzhou like a bird startled by the mere twang of a bow. With the annihilation of Liaozhen and Beizhili's elite troops, the Ning-Jin defense line was empty of troops; the only force still capable of fighting was the nine thousand Sichuan troops at Shanhai Pass. The Jizhen border defenses were in a state of constant alarm — everyone feared the Jianzhou bandits would invade again at any moment. Even the appearance of a few Mongol herders could send the local garrison fleeing in rout.

"Why does my Great Ming, vast as it is, have no power to strike back against the Jianzhou bandits?" Chongzhen looked at Cao Huachun on the floor, then seemed to ask himself, "Since the Shenzong era, my Great Ming has not won a single victory against the Jianzhou bandits. At Sarhu, a hundred thousand troops were utterly routed; at Liao-Shen, another hundred thousand; at Guangning, a hundred and twenty thousand…"

Chongzhen stopped speaking. After Guangning there had been defeats at Liuhe, at the passes, and elsewhere — he did not wish to recall them. Although the battles of Ningyuan and Ning-Jin had been defensive holds, he knew they were far from victories compared to the Ming army's repeated total annihilations. The only achievement worth mentioning was the Four Cities campaign. The actual number of Jianzhou bandits eliminated had been barely over a thousand.

A feeling of utter dejection welled up in his heart. He even began to miss his life as Prince Xin. Back then, his elder brother the Emperor handled everything; he himself only needed to read and amuse himself each day. Now, the life of an emperor kept him in a state of constant panic — at any moment, bad news might arrive, and he had no means to deal with it.

On his imperial desk lay another pile of memorials, among them letters of self-reproach from Liang Tingdong and Sun Chengzong. Even more were impeachments of Sun Chengzong and Qiu Jiahe. Fifty thousand troops had turned to nothing overnight — this time, Sun Chengzong had to be punished.

Chongzhen's mood was troubled. Unwilling to look at the memorials concerning the Changshan defeat, he turned with a gloomy expression and picked up another from the other side. Opening it, his brow furrowed even deeper. This was Yu Yinggui's impeachment of Zhou Yanru.

"Your servant previously impeached Senior Grand Secretary Yanru, first pointing to his acceptance of sable and silver bribes, and the one he steadfastly protects is none other than Dengzhou Governor Sun Yuanhua. Now observe what Yuanhua has done. Nine townships massacred, Dengzhou fallen… The state's annual expenditure of nine hundred ninety thousand in the people's fat has all been cast into passing waves — who is truly responsible? Ask who, in ordinary times, was the patron allowing Yuanhua to hold that vital post securely for so long? Who covered for him, enabling Kong Youde to harbor a traitorous heart? Can one not bitterly hate Yanru for this? Your servant sets aside other matters and speaks only of Yanru's draft rescripts… Every time Yuanhua advanced a line of argument, Yanru would respond with a layer of protection… The one who made Youde's rebellion possible is not Sun Yuanhua but Zhou Yanru. The various memorials are on record. The draft rescripts are preserved. Let His Majesty examine them…"

Chongzhen did not finish reading. This was yet another troublesome matter. He tossed it onto the desk and leaned back weakly against his chair, rubbing his forehead to rest his mind while letting out a long sigh.

Seeing Chongzhen's mood gradually calm, Cao Huachun waved over two young eunuchs and had them sweep up the shattered porcelain on the floor. Cao Huachun glanced at the desk — the memorials impeaching Zhou Yanru had also piled up into dozens, mainly accusing him of accepting huge bribes from his fellow townsman Sun Yuanhua and showing him excessive favor. Sun Yuanhua's performance had clearly become the basis for the censors' relentless pursuit.

Chongzhen was no longer the youth who had just ascended the throne. He knew that within the righteous and stern words of these court officials often lay hidden other purposes. Though he sometimes could not discern exactly what they wanted, he would not make a hasty decision.

As for the censors' collective attack on Zhou Yanru this time, Chongzhen could guess who was pushing from behind. In terms of ability and balance of power, Chongzhen still valued Zhou Yanru more and would not move him from the Senior Grand Secretary position for now. He still needed to continue observing Wen Tiren.

Not moving against Zhou Yanru, however, did not mean he would let Sun Yuanhua off. Sun Yuanhua's performance over more than a year in Dengzhou had utterly disgusted Chongzhen, and the multiple memorials reported by Wang Tingshi and Lu Zhi made it even clearer that the chief culprit of the Dengzhou mutiny was Sun Yuanhua. Sun Yuanhua had now been sent to Jingshi, along with Wang Zheng, Yu Dacheng, Zhang Dao, and others.

Once the young eunuchs finished cleaning, Cao Huachun said to Chongzhen in a low voice, "Your Majesty, shall this slave bring some refreshments…"

"No need. I do not wish to eat." Chongzhen opened his eyes. "Where is Sun Yuanhua being held now?"

"Held at the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Northern Pacification Office. Xu Guangqi has submitted a memorial arguing he should be confined in the Ministry of Justice's celestial prison. The Senior Grand Secretary has not issued a draft rescript; the Directorate of Ceremonial requests His Majesty's sacred decision…"

"Keep him at the Northern Pacification Office. Yu Yinggui was right on one point: the state's annual expenditure of nine hundred ninety thousand in the people's fat has all been cast into passing waves. Sun Yuanhua cannot escape his culpability." Chongzhen said flatly, "Have the Embroidered Uniform Guard thoroughly investigate Sun Yuanhua."

Hearing that he did not mention Zhou Yanru, Cao Huachun firmly committed this to memory. When giving instructions to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, he must not first implicate Zhou Yanru, the Senior Grand Secretary.

Just as he was about to leave, hurried footsteps sounded from outside. A eunuch rushed in to report that Liang Tingdong sought an audience, bearing an urgent report from the Ministry of War.

Chongzhen's heart trembled again. The Ministry of War's recent urgent reports had all been bad news, making him almost unwilling to read their memorials. But he was the Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Great Ming Empire — he had no room to shirk.

Chongzhen sighed and said, "Let him enter."

Liang Tingdong hurried in and knelt directly on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, an urgent report from Vice Minister of War and acting Deng-Lai Governor Wang Tingshi…"

Chongzhen suppressed the tension in his heart and said in as calm a tone as possible, "Give me the essentials."

"A previous report indicated signs of rebellion by Chen Youshi at Lushun. It has now been verified by Army Supervisor Lu Zhi. Dengzhou Garrison Vice Regional Commander Chen Xin was dispatched with a detachment of the Wendeng Battalion, crossed the sea, and captured Chen Youshi in one stroke. At that time, the situation at Lushun was not yet stable; Jianzhou bandit scouts from Jinzhou were reconnoitering Lushun. Wang Tingshi judged that the Jinzhou Jianzhou bandits would certainly seize the opportunity to attack and ordered Chen Xin to set an ambush along the way. At Sipingshan, he routed several thousand Jianzhou bandits, took over four hundred and twenty heads, and captured a number of prisoners."

Chongzhen's mouth fell open in surprise. He suddenly stood up and interrupted excitedly, "Quickly, bring the memorial to me."

Cao Huachun hastily grabbed the memorial and handed it to Chongzhen with both hands. Chongzhen opened it impatiently, reading while saying to the kneeling Liang Tingdong, "Minister Liang, continue."

"Wang Tingshi judged that the Jinzhou Jianzhou bandits had already been struck with terror and immediately ordered Chen Xin to launch an attack. The Wendeng Battalion took Jinzhou in a single battle. Jinzhou is now in the hands of my Great Ming — Jinzhou has been recovered, Your Majesty." Liang Tingdong said with emotion. In truth, Jinzhou was not ordinarily considered important and had been occupied by Dongjiang Garrison before, but at this moment of the Changshan defeat, it carried an entirely different significance.

"Good, good." Chongzhen chuckled a few times, quickly finished reading the victory memorial, and could not conceal his excitement. He paced back and forth behind the imperial desk. "Wang Tingshi does know military affairs, knowing to press the attack in one surge while the Jianzhou bandits are defeated. With Jinzhou taken, there is much to be done in Liaonan — much to be done."

But Chongzhen immediately stopped and said to the two with a smile, "Of course, it still required Assistant Regional Commander Chen's bravery and skill in battle to achieve this great victory in recovering territory. Yet Wang Tingshi's contribution in strategic planning is also indispensable."

Liang Tingdong immediately produced another memorial, raised it high above his head, and said loudly, "Wang Tingshi possesses considerable frontier talent. Along with the victory report, he has submitted a separate memorial proposing a new three-pronged strategy."

Chongzhen personally went to receive it, as if taking hold of something he had long awaited. In his two years as Vice Minister of War, Wang Tingshi had never left such a deep impression on Chongzhen as he did today.

"With Liaoxi's Guan-Ning as the head, mass elite troops from Jizhen, Liaozhen, Shizhu, and Zhejiang to block the enemy's westward advance; Deng-Lai as the waist, incorporating Lushun into Dengzhou Garrison, dispatching a Wendeng Battalion detachment to garrison it, with Deng-Lai and Wendeng naval forces coordinating to strike the enemy's southern four garrisons and threaten Sancha; Dongjiang as the tail, conducting a thorough troop count, supplemented by Pi Island and Korean naval forces, to recover Zhenjiang. The three prongs coordinate front and rear; head, waist, and tail advance and withdraw in turn, ensuring the eastern slaves have no leisure to look west…"

The more Chongzhen read, the brighter his eyes became. With the victory at Jinzhou, Wang Tingshi's memorial carried great persuasive power. He quickly grasped Wang Tingshi's general intent: Deng-Lai would change from its original role of merely providing logistics and become the most critical link among the three prongs. This contained Wang Tingshi's own ambition, but it also had considerable feasibility — the main factor being the existence of the Wendeng Battalion as a fighting force.

Chongzhen still did not rush to a decision. He sat down and sank into thought.

Liang Tingdong waited a long time without hearing any response. He raised his head and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty…"

"This new three-pronged strategy shall be held at court for now. It concerns vital military and state affairs. Minister Liang, do not speak of it to anyone."

Liang Tingdong hastily agreed and was led out by a eunuch. With the Ministry of War now buoyed by the Jinzhou victory, Liang Tingdong had room to maneuver again. He could see that the Emperor's attitude toward him was still decent, and his steps were noticeably lighter as he left. But he did not understand why Chongzhen still would not approve this strategy, or what else needed to be considered.

After Liang Tingdong left, Chongzhen had Cao Huachun grind ink. He picked up his brush and wrote characters haphazardly on the paper. Cao Huachun stole a glance — they were names, including Zhou Yanru, Wang Tingshi, Wen Tiren, Chen Xin, Sun Yuanhua, and others. Cao Huachun immediately recalled that Chen Xin was of Wen Tiren's faction — this was known throughout the court, and even Wen Tiren himself never avoided the association.

Chongzhen wrote for a while, but his gaze was somewhat scattered; clearly his mind was pondering matters beyond the paper. Cao Huachun dared not make a sound, even slowing his ink-grinding to an extreme crawl.

"Cao Banban, with whom does Wang Tingshi usually associate?"

Cao Huachun's eyes shifted. Knowing what the Emperor was worried about, he quickly replied, "This slave has only heard from others. It is said that in his two years in Jingshi, Wang Tingshi is not much inclined to associate with anyone. Even among his Ministry of War colleagues, his relations are superficial."

"Oh." Chongzhen lifted his brush and remained silent for a long moment. Finally, he set brush to the memorial and wrote: "Appoint Wang Tingshi as Right Assistant Censor-in-Chief, Governor of Deng-Lai and Dongjiang, to prepare troops and aid Liaodong, recover Jinzhou, Gaizhou, and the various garrisons. Lushun and Jinzhou are reassigned to Dengzhou Garrison."

After writing, he re-inked his brush, gently dragging the tip against the edge of the inkstone several times. Then he took up Yu Yinggui's memorial impeaching Zhou Yanru and wrote in reply: "Yu Yinggui speaks on hearsay, wantonly slandering and defaming Senior Grand Secretary Zhou Yanru with blasphemous and contemptuous language. He is to be demoted three ranks but remain in his post as before."

Chongzhen handed Yu Yinggui's memorial to Cao Huachun and said flatly, "Enter this memorial of Yu Yinggui's into the court gazette." (To be continued.)

PS: Seeking recommendations, seeking monthly tickets.