Chapter 313: The Emperor

Once they reached Yu Pass, the Valiant Guard Camp did not enter the city but directly set up camp and established a perimeter outside the walls.

The pay-inspection team did not pause to rest; they followed the guidance of the pass staff straight to the Governor-General's yamen.

Inside the council hall, a host of Ji-Liao officials had already arrived and were waiting.

The Ji-Liao Supreme Commander Sun Chengzong, Ningyuan Circuit Intendant Bi Zisu, the detached Bureau Secretary from the Ministry of War, the Pay-Supervising Bureau Director from the Ministry of Revenue, and even Ma Shilong and Man Gui, who had come ahead to take over command of the troops, were all present.

After entering the hall, everyone exchanged the proper courtesies.

Wang Shide gave a slight tilt of his head, and a dozen or so of the accompanying Embroidered Uniform Guard and Eastern Depot agents immediately withdrew from the room.

Every three paces a man, every five paces a sentry — they swiftly surrounded the council hall and stood fast.

Once the security cordon was complete, Yuan Jixian finally spoke up.

"Gentlemen."

The assembly fell silent at once, all eyes turning to this official who was at once familiar and unfamiliar.

Familiar, because Yuan Jixian had visited Liaodong once before, in the ninth month.

At that time he was a Messenger of the Messenger Office, sent to Liaodong to distribute the enthronement bounty.

When he arrived, like civil officials before him, he accepted every customary gratuity and bribe that came his way.

But on the day the bounty was actually handed out, he directly produced the sums each officer had paid as bribes and declared them additional rewards offered by the officers to celebrate His Majesty — while all the customary kickbacks he had promised beforehand were, of course, voided, and every last coin was distributed as it should have been.

This combination of hard and soft tactics preserved a thin veneer of face for the officers, yet in truth it was grinding them underfoot while claiming to bestow favor — a masterful piece of maneuvering. After all, the common soldiers were no fools; who would believe such nonsense?

To expect officers to voluntarily dig into their own pockets to add to the bounty — that would require the sun to rise in the west.

Everyone knew the truth; they simply kept it to themselves.

It was precisely on the strength of this prestige that Yuan Jixian was able to conduct his inquiries across Liaodong with such remarkable smoothness, return to the capital, and write that memorial "On the Differences Among the People, Soldiers, and Officers of Liao," which vaulted him upward into the Secretariat.

Which of the Ji-Liao civil officials present here did not know that story inside and out?

As for unfamiliar…

The imperial aura nourishes a man. The Yuan Jixian of today was no longer the timid, circumspect little Messenger of three months ago.

Head of the Ji-Liao Pay-Inspection Team — a minor assignment without official rank.

Yet because it stood on equal footing with the Northern Metropolitan New Policies and the capital's New Policies, everyone understood just how dazzling a future lay ahead of this red-hot confidential secretary at the Son of Heaven's side.

Yuan Jixian's expression was grave. He swept his gaze around the room, cupped his hands, and said:

"Under the New Policies, whenever a task is to be undertaken, alignment must come first, and confirmation must be made."

"The Ji-Liao plan spans multiple departments and touches upon every link — fiscal and tax affairs, intelligence, armaments, and local Ji-Liao matters."

"The various parties have deliberated for months, but most of it has been through letters and telegraph exchanges, which after all leave a layer of separation."

"For most of the people here, today is in fact the first time we have all gathered together."

"Therefore, before leaving the capital, His Majesty gave special instructions: a strategic alignment meeting must be held first, before any work begins."

At this point he turned slightly, cupped his hands toward Sun Chengzong, who sat in the host's seat, and said in a tone both respectful and brooking no dissent:

"By imperial decree, this alignment meeting is to be chaired by me… I beg the Supreme Commander not to take offense at this subordinate's presumption."

Sun Chengzong's expression remained as placid as still, deep water.

He simply stroked the white beard at his chin and nodded slightly. "His Majesty has already given instructions on this matter via telegraph. Secretary Yuan, please begin." Yuan Jixian nodded, then cast an unobtrusive glance over the Ji-Liao officials.

He had initially worried that this overstepping of authority to chair the meeting would provoke pushback, but seeing now that the majority of the Ji-Liao officials showed no sign of resistance — their eyes gleaming with anticipation, eager to begin — he finally felt somewhat at ease.

The New Policies' way of doing things carried something of the flavor of an imperial inspector.

Not an actual imperial inspector, but rather the custom that "authority over a matter rests with the person appointed by the Emperor, not with actual official rank."

Under the leadership of that appointed person, the ranks of all officials and the interdepartmental powers and interests had to yield; the project took precedence over everything.

What that appointed person relied on was, in truth, the power to impeach through direct memorials and the invisible prestige that came from reporting directly to His Majesty. But this peculiar form of inspectorate had, after all, only arisen very recently.

It had not yet crystallized into a formal mechanism like the command banner or the imperial sword, and carried a certain air of procedural informality.

If someone truly refused to accept it and argued the point, it would not exactly cause obstruction, but it would ultimately waste time.

This was also why the Emperor had inserted a first-rank Duke of Xing, Zhang Tongchang, into the accompanying party.

The research topic was one aspect; the other was to use his first-rank ducal title and the political weight behind him to reinforce, by status, the heft of this Liaodong mission. But as things now appeared, with men's minds eager for change, Ji-Liao was far from the capital — how could its desire to embrace the tide be any weaker than that in the capital itself?

His heart now steadier, Yuan Jixian cupped his hands once more to Sun Chengzong, then dispensed with further ceremony.

He turned around and went straight to the point:

"The complete Ji-Liao plan is intricate and detailed, divided into many chapters, spanning multiple departments and offices, and runs to no less than several hundred thousand characters."

"Moreover, the security classifications of its various sections differ, so it is impossible to clarify every point here."

"Therefore, this alignment session will not discuss detailed affairs. We will only confirm consensus on strategy and clarify the distribution of authority and responsibility at each stage." He paused, then raised his voice slightly:

"The Ji-Liao strategy for the first year of Yongchang, summed up in a phrase, is just eight characters."

"Rectify conduct and tighten discipline; hold the strongpoints and control the fighting!"

"By 'rectify conduct and tighten discipline,' we mean letting the wind of the New Policies blow through Ji-Liao, sweep through Ji-Liao."

"The objective is not to demand that this region complete the New Policies as thoroughly and rapidly as the Northern Metropolitan Area, but to ensure that within this year, everyone in Ji-Liao, from top to bottom, sees one thing clearly!"

Yuan Jixian's gaze flashed like lightning as he looked around the room and declared with finality:

"The tide of reform rolls on, vast and mighty! Those who go with the current prosper; those who go against it perish!"

As his words fell, a slight stir rippled through the hall.

But it was not fear — it was excitement.

The men who could enter this room for this meeting today had already passed through layer upon layer of screening.

Those invited to this meeting themselves held the power to define who was going against the current and who was going with it.

In other words, those seated here were the cleaver.

And those not invited to the meeting — they were the meat on the block.

With the knife-handle in their grip to carve the flesh of others, the men naturally felt only excitement, and no fear whatsoever.

Yuan Jixian took in everyone's reactions at a glance and continued:

"'Holding firm to control the battle,' however, is the guiding principle for the war in Ji-Liao."

"In the first year of Yongchang, the court does not demand the capture or recovery of a single city or pool of land in Liaodong."

"'Yet we hold that if we reform and train troops for a year without testing them in actual combat, how can we verify the reforms' effectiveness? How can we boost the morale behind the reforms?' 'Therefore, in this first year, we will seek out a location — whether at Dalinghe, or at Youtun, or in southern Liao — to stockpile grain and fodder in advance and prepare the army for battle.'"

"By building fortifications and launching harassing raids, we will compel the Jianzhou barbarians to attack, and thus, with our backs to a stronghold, we will fight a war of controlled scale!"

The moment these words were spoken, Ma Shilong was the most excited of all; his fists were already clenched tight within his sleeves.

His condition for ennoblement was precisely to forge a powerful army and then fight an undefeated battle.

Once he fulfilled these two conditions, he would be the first personally enfeoffed count under the new policies.

A countship itself was nothing much; it was the political future that this achievement represented that truly stirred the imagination.

In truth, the Yongchang Emperor's original strategy had been extremely conservative.

Zhu Youjian's initial plan had been to conduct this combat test in the second or third year of Yongchang.

But the morale among his subordinates was simply too high to be contained.

From the Secretariat to the Ji-Liao front lines, and even Yuan Chonghuan and Ma Shilong, who later joined the discussions — everyone recommended that this battle should be fought in the first year.

Was this another form of "haste," spurred on by the winds of the new policies? And might it therefore lead to a disastrous outcome? Amidst the shifting tides of history, even the Yongchang Emperor could no longer be one hundred percent certain.

But with morale clamoring so high and the people's hearts so ready to be used, it would not do to forcibly suppress them after all.

The Emperor ultimately gave his assent.

In any case, the final nuclear button of whether to go to war remained firmly in his grasp at all times. Harnessing this high morale first to accelerate the speed and quality of the reforms was also a good thing.

As for whether this battle would ultimately be fought, and where it would be fought, that would still have to be decided separately based on the evolving situation.

It was entirely possible that this battle might never be fought at all, or perhaps the Jianzhou side would strike before the Great Ming was even ready — both were possibilities. Yuan Jixian paused for a moment, and seeing that no one had spoken up after he finished outlining the strategy, continued:

"Based on this strategy, the first year of Yongchang in Ji-Liao can be divided into three phases."

"I shall now enumerate the allocation of authority and responsibility for each phase, so as to demonstrate fairness and clarity."

"The first phase is the rectification of discipline and morale."

"'Led by the Pay Audit Team, with all of Ji-Liao in support — the authority and responsibility for this phase rest with me.' 'The project duration is from today until roughly the third month.'"

Sun Chengzong spoke up at the appropriate moment, his voice steady and powerful:

"All of Ji-Liao, from top to bottom, will exert our utmost to support the Pay Audit Team in carrying out this rectification of discipline and morale."

Yuan Jixian nodded and continued:

"The second phase is reform and troop training."

"In this phase, Ji-Liao shall take the lead."

"The project duration is from after the Lantern Festival until the summer harvest."

"During this phase, the primary authority and responsibility rest solely with Supreme Commander Sun alone."

"The authority and responsibility of each person under him shall be determined in detail by Supreme Commander Sun."

With that, he took half a step back and cupped his hands toward Sun Chengzong, signaling him to take over the floor.

Sun Chengzong did not stand on ceremony; he took up the duty without hesitation and began issuing a series of extremely precise military assignments.

"Ma Shilong, in charge of troop selection and training for the Liaodong Demonstration Camp — the authority and responsibility are his!"

Ma Shilong immediately stepped forward, clasped his fists, and bowed: "Your subordinate accepts the command!"

"Sun Chuanting, in charge of troop selection, promotions, and demotions for the Valiant Guard Camp and all other camps, as well as mutual transfer and rotational training among the camps — the authority and responsibility are his!"

"Man Gui, in charge of the initial reorganization of the Ji Garrison and the naturalization affairs of the Mongol Reconciliation Camp — the authority and responsibility are his!"

"Yuan Chonghuan, in charge of the inventory and rectification of all garrison forts and outposts in Liaodong, military farmland under the guard system, and armaments and weaponry — the authority and responsibility are his!"

"Lu Shanji, in charge of espionage affairs concerning the Jurchen and the various Mongol tribes beyond the passes — the authority and responsibility are his!"

"Bi Zisu, in charge of pass defense inspections and investigating smuggling with Jianzhou — the authority and responsibility are his!"

The old Supreme Commander did not pause, his words clear and methodical, as he assigned each of the numerous and complex military tasks one by one.

The generals and civil officials whose names were called stepped forward in succession, cupping their hands to accept their orders, and the entire council hall was filled with the stern, martial atmosphere of clashing steel and warhorses.

Yuan Jixian, seeing that the assignments were complete and everyone had returned to their places, retook the floor and continued:

"When we reach the third phase, we shall advance the strategy of holding firm to control the battle."

"This project's duration begins with preparations from the summer harvest, but no end date is specified."

"Before the fifth month, Ji-Liao must decide, based on the situation, whether to initiate combat and where to initiate it."

"The central ministries and surrounding localities will provide support in the supply of grain, fodder, and provisions, as well as the deployment of defensive forces."

"And the authority and responsibility for this phase rest with..."

He paused, his expression becoming extremely solemn, and slowly uttered those two words:

"His Majesty!"

Even though it was under the influence of many factors that the court had set the goal of fighting a battle in Ji-Liao during the first year,

since it was war, the authority and responsibility for victory or defeat could only be borne by Zhu Youjian alone.

This was not out of distrust for Sun Chengzong, nor was it the Emperor seeking to grasp the prestige of a supreme commander.

On the contrary, it was to protect Sun Chengzong and to protect the continuity of the Ji-Liao strategy.

The Yongchang Emperor absolutely did not want a repeat of the Tianqi era, where people followed assignments, and the success or failure of an undertaking instead became a foothold for factional strife.

Other matters could be handled more easily, but since this battle was to be fought, it absolutely could not be allowed to fall into that same inertial pattern.

Moreover, the preparations for a war could not be driven by Ji-Liao alone.

Yuan Jixian's expression was solemn as he continued:

"The detailed allocation of authority and responsibility for this matter is likewise enumerated:"

"Supreme Commander Sun is in charge of judging when and where to fight or defend, whether to fight or defend, and all military operational command once battle is joined. The authority and responsibility for this matter are his." "Huo Weihua, Minister of the Ministry of War, is in charge of all armaments preparations and the dispatch of defensive forces for fortification construction. The authority and responsibility for this matter are his."

"The Minister of Revenue, Guo Yunhou, is responsible for grain, pay, fodder, beans, and other supplies — their stockpiling and transport. This matter falls under his authority."

He continued speaking, assigning responsibilities one by one for the early-warning and defensive duties to be borne by the Ji Garrison, Xuanfu, and even the counties along the northern border of the Northern Metropolitan Region, and only then concluded this section.

Finally, he drew a deep breath and added:

"Although this portion of the strategy has been finalized, it remains subject to extensive revision." "Henceforth, based on intelligence reports sent back from Ji-Liao, it shall be reviewed once a month and reassessed once a month."

"For this final phase, His Majesty has issued a supplementary verbal edict…"

Yuan Jixian straightened his body, his gaze lowered and fixed ahead. "Gentlemen, prepare to receive the edict."

Swish —

Everyone in the hall, Sun Chengzong included, upon hearing there was a verbal edict, hurriedly lifted the hems of their robes and knelt to the ground.

Yuan Jixian solemnly conveyed this final portion:

"Since the uprising in Liaodong, the Battle of Liaoyang-Shenyang was lost to a stealth assault on the city and the feebleness of our officers and men."

"The Battle of Guangning was lost to rash advances by light troops and the feuding between the Governor and the Military Commissioner."

"The Battle of Liuhe was lost to faulty intelligence and disunity of command."

"But was there ever a single instance in which the Great Ming, fully prepared, with an army of equal numbers in open and honorable battle, faced the enemy in the field and could not prevail?" "I have reviewed all the case files and found only the Battle of Sarhū barely qualifies!"

"But after Sarhū, every engagement has been the many against the few, the swift against the slow, the moving against the static, the prepared against the unprepared!"

"This time, losing is acceptable — but we must lose with absolute clarity!"

"Jinzhou may be abandoned, Ningyuan may be breached — but who was brave, who was cowardly, who bungled military preparations, and who embezzled the pay and silver?"

"And in what respects exactly has our Great Ming army failed — in the garrison system, in battle formations, in armaments, in tactics?"

"All of it must be seen with perfect clarity!"

"Once we see it clearly, we can resolve it."

"Once we resolve each and every one, the Great Ming will in the end achieve final victory!"

The verbal edict, every word ringing with force, echoed through the hall.

When he finished, everyone responded in unison.

"Your subjects, in reverence, obey the sacred edict!"

Every heart was churning violently.

The bottom line the Emperor had set was far too low.

He did not seek victory, did not fear losing cities — he only demanded that defeat be understood with absolute clarity.

Yet at the same time, this bottom line was also impossibly high!

The Emperor of the Great Ming wanted to fight the Jianzhou barbarians in Ji-Liao in an open and honorable contest!

One must understand that the phrase "open and honorable" was itself already an extraordinarily difficult objective to achieve.

Strategic maneuver, military consolidation, the stockpiling of materiel, and even the purging of corruption, the selection of soldiers and appointment of generals — only by advancing all these many matters in tandem might this requirement perhaps be met.

From this perspective, to call this war — whose time and place no one yet knew — "another battle on the scale of Sarhū" would be no exaggeration at all.

Yuan Jixian drew a deep breath, forcibly suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and a smile reappeared on his face.

"Supreme Commander Sun, the content of this meeting is all that I have outlined above."

"I must now set about the work of rectification."

"I wonder — the 'Compiled Roster of Ji-Liao Officials' mentioned in our previous correspondence, has it been prepared?"

Sun Chengzong gave a hearty laugh and said:

"Naturally, it has long been ready. Cai Ding, you shall present it."

From beside him stepped a middle-aged scholar — none other than Sun Chengzong's capable aide, Cai Ding.

"Reporting to Secretary Yuan," Cai Ding said, cupping his hands. "All general officers in the Ji-Liao garrison, from Company Commander and above, number four hundred and eighty-one men in total, along with thirty-seven civil officials stationed by local and central authorities. The entire roster has been listed out one by one."

"Their local reputations, personal properties, marriage ties, and even such evidence of corruption as we have uncovered have also been appended and filed, awaiting the imperial envoy's inspection." The smile on Yuan Jixian's face deepened:

"Excellent!"

"After this meeting, I shall arrange for my colleagues in the pay-audit teams to divide the work and cross-check these against the materials gathered in the capital, identifying omissions and filling gaps." With that, he looked toward Sun Chengzong, cupped his hands, and said:

"At the same time, I must ask Supreme Commander Sun to issue an order: from Shanhai Pass to Jinzhou, all officers of Vice Regional Commander and above shall, before the fifth day of the first month, temporarily entrust their military duties to their deputies."

"The officers themselves are to proceed immediately to Shanhai Pass."

Yuan Jixian smiled faintly, but his eyes held no trace of warmth:

"His Majesty has some questions he wishes to ask them!"