Chapter 1666: Yuan Chonghuan, Come Quickly

Zhu Youjian, who had just finished his midday meal, was already waiting in the Hall of Literary Splendor for a group of grim-faced senior ministers.

Zhu Youjian was in rather good spirits. This time Li Zicheng surely would not get away! Sun Chuanting's ability was plain to see — those six thousand households of northwest cavalry could definitely be raised in full and in good order.

Moreover, during this period the remnant Wei faction traitors in the inner court and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, along with the several dozen treacherous ministers locked up in the Western Garden, had all seen the light and repented, one after another demanding to buy indulgences at high prices!

The most touching was the former Superintendent of the Southern Lake, Liu Chao. In order to properly confiscate the households of Wei Zhongxian's several nephews and grandnephews, he had thrown himself into the task completely, leading a flock of god-sons and god-grandsons every day to stand guard over the several Wei residences, digging three feet into the ground as they confiscated!

Not only did he confiscate gold, silver, and precious curios, but also land, houses, open shares and hidden shares, promissory notes from the King of Hell's account books, and the Wei family's servants and maids — he practically wished he could strip the flesh from Wei Zhongxian's nephews and grandnephews, pull out their bones, and sell them by the pound!

Zhu Youjian had known this Liu Chao in his previous life, and at the time he had not felt the fellow worked so conscientiously. Oh, but back then he had not given the man a chance to turn over a new leaf. What a pity!

For the sake of the confiscation work, this Liu Chao had worn himself thin — he had lost two full sizes. Yesterday evening he had just delivered several chests of account books to the Hall of Literary Splendor, and had also reported the figures — the land obtained from the confiscations totaled one and a half million mu! Two-thirds of it had been fraudulently registered under the names of Wei Zhongxian's several nephews. There were more than thirty residences, ten of them within Beijing itself. There were three or four hundred shops, half in Beijing, and the other half in Tongzhou and the Tianjin garrison. The precious curios and treasures were beyond counting, all sealed one by one and sent to the palace. Gold, silver, minted cash, silks and satins, and so on, converted to silver came to roughly one and a half to one and a half million taels — not a great deal, but it was all cash, not counting debts owed. As for the various debts owed, the principal alone came to more than three million taels!

In addition there were quite a few open and hidden shares. Zhu Youjian knew these shares were especially valuable! Not because they could be sold for much money — the Ming had no stock market at present, and even if there were one, these shares could not be sold. Because these shares were all "evidence of crimes"!

Heh heh — Wei Zhongxian was a shareholder, so how could those firms possibly be in good standing?

They had to atone for their sins!

After hearing Liu Chao's report, Zhu Youjian had rather taken a liking to Wei Zhongxian's family. He would not kill those nephews and grandnephews after all — he had to keep them alive, for they were all ironclad evidence piled high as a mountain!

Whoever they bit into would not merely lose office and be dismissed, but would be utterly ruined in reputation.

Of course, the Donglin gentlemen were not afraid. Every one of them was iron-boned and unyielding, having waged resolute struggle against Wei Zhongxian — to call them a traitor faction would be absurd.

But the eunuch faction at court was terrified! Even without Wei Zhongxian's family biting people at random, Sun Chengzong would have submitted a great pile of impeachment memorials. If there were "ironclad evidence," could they even survive?

And only when treacherous ministers were afraid would they work properly. Working so hard that they all wore grim faces — it must be very exhausting, surely?

Seeing the treacherous ministers all looking so grim-faced, Zhu Youjian's mood improved greatly. After his ministers had finished performing the grand ceremony, he smilingly bade them rise.

"Gentlemen," Zhu Youjian said, looking at his ministers with a smile, "what matters are there to memorialize today?"

"Your Majesty," the Chief Grand Secretary Huang Liji said, stepping out of line to report, "Wang Zhichen, the Supreme Commander of Liaodong, has memorialized that the Mongol Chahar tribe, which for generations has nomadically grazed the bend of the Liao River, has recently been migrating west in great force, apparently heading toward the Tumed plain."

"Oh," Zhu Youjian nodded lightly and said with a smile, "Ligdan Khan has been badly beaten by Hong Taiji and wants to migrate west to swallow up the Tumed tribe's territory. With the Chahar tribe gone, the three garrisons of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong will be in a somewhat precarious position!"

This one's reaction was quick enough. But why was he not the least bit anxious?

The ministers below, seeing Chongzhen still looking so composed and unhurried, all had question marks in their hearts — did this man not understand the gravity of the situation? Or did he truly have a way to deal with it?

"Your Majesty," the Left Chief Censor Sun Chengzong, seeing an opportunity to display his military talents, hurriedly stepped out of line to memorialize, "this subject has a plan that will surely make Hong Taiji dare not split his forces and advance west to raid the three garrisons of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong!"

Zhu Youjian glanced at him. "Sun, what excellent plan do you have?"

He of course knew Sun Chengzong had no excellent plan. The Liaodong troops could not defeat Hong Taiji in open battle — that was hard truth!

"This subject proposes reinforcing and expanding the city of Jinzhou, and at the same time rebuilding the Daling River Fort and the Xiaoling River Fort." Sun Chengzong said, "The Daling and Xiaoling River Forts lie thirty-some li east of Jinzhou, relying on the river courses, with terrain that is strategically critical. If they are in our hands, then advancing we can attack Guangning, and retreating we can protect Jinzhou — truly ground that military men must contest."

"What 'ground that military men must contest'? It is plainly a death trap that will lose armies and disgrace the nation!" Before Sun Chengzong had even finished speaking, Wang Zaijin was already shouting.

This Wang Zaijin and Sun Chengzong were sworn enemies! Years ago, after Xiong Tingbi's downfall, old Wang had taken charge of Liaodong, gathered the remnants, and withdrawn to defend Shanhai Pass, preparing to build a second great wall outside the pass to guarantee absolute safety — in effect, to hold Shanhai Pass to the death and set aside for the time being the grand plan of recovering Liaodong.

But his deployment had met with opposition from Yuan Chonghuan, Shen Qi, Sun Yuanhua, and several other civil officials on the Liaodong front. The dispute went to the Chief Grand Secretary Ye Xianggao; old Ye could not make up his mind, so he sent Sun Chengzong, then a Grand Secretary managing Ministry of War affairs, to inspect the frontier. As a result, Sun Chengzong accepted the views of Yuan Chonghuan and the others, and after returning to the capital lodged a vicious complaint against Wang Zaijin, sending Wang Zaijin off to Nanjing to eat idle meals. And that was not the end of it — Sun Chengzong then took over Wang Zaijin's post himself and went to command Liaodong, carrying out his city-building plan. Building and building, the money ran out!

But recently Sun Chengzong had learned that Zhu Youjian had made a bit of money from confiscations and selling indulgences, so he wanted to continue his grand strategy of "advancing step by step, fort by fort."

And the moment he brought up "ground that military men must contest," Wang Zaijin immediately jumped up. It was not that he begrudged the money, but that open battle truly could not be won!

Sun Chengzong's method was the trick the Northern Song had used to hammer the Western Xia, but the eastern barbarians were not the Western Xia! Back then, after Li Yuanhao of the Western Xia died, the Northern Song's western army did not come off worse in open battle against the Western Xia.

Only when open battle is not to your disadvantage can you build forts in the Hengshan range and press forward step by step! Otherwise how could you build forts? Before the fort is finished, you will be attacked.

But the Ming army's open-battle disadvantage against the eastern barbarians was enormous. Building the Daling River Fort or the Xiaoling River Fort carried tremendous risk. If you were besieged halfway through construction, you would have to send relief! And the enemy would be waiting precisely to strike the relief force and take heads. Liaodong had a hundred and ten thousand troops on paper, but in reality who knew if there were even sixty thousand — they could not withstand the eastern barbarians fighting to the death!

Zhu Youjian, however, raised a hand to stop Wang Zaijin. "Grand Secretary Wang, let Sir Sun finish!"

Seeing Zhu Youjian's attitude, Sun Chengzong was at once encouraged, and went on to propose: "The former Governor of Liaodong, Yuan Chonghuan, is thoroughly versed in military affairs and has twice inflicted great defeats on the eastern barbarians at Ningyuan. He can be put to great use. This subject recommends Yuan Chonghuan as Supreme Commander of Liaodong, to take charge of all military affairs in Liaodong and carry out the method of fort-by-fort advance."

Zhu Youjian glanced again at Wang Zaijin.

Wang Zaijin said, "Yuan Chonghuan is a man whose words exceed his deeds. He absolutely must not be made Supreme Commander; at most he can be allowed to hold a single city or a single fort."

Zhu Youjian seemed somewhat unable to decide. He was silent for a while, then asked Wang Zaijin, "Now that the Chahar tribe is migrating west, the eastern barbarians will surely seize the opportunity to advance west, take the entire Liao River bend, and perhaps even go further and occupy the Bashang grasslands. Then Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong will all lie under the eastern barbarians' blades. What should be done?"

"The only course is to strengthen the garrisons of the three towns, and to station troops and build cities at Lüshun and Jinzhou in southern Liaoning, as a diversion."

"That is preparing to be beaten!" Sun Chengzong interjected. "From Shanhai Pass to Datong is a wall nearly two thousand li long. If even one point is breached, the eastern barbarians will pour into the interior! How can a two-thousand-li wall be defended?"

Wang Zaijin said, "We can abandon Jinzhou and Ningyuan, and transfer the troops of Ningyuan and Jinzhou to defend Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong separately."

Wang Zaijin's proposal was still conservative — preparing to be beaten.

"Utter nonsense!" Sun Chengzong roared. "The lands beyond the pass were left by our ancestors and preserved by the blood of our officers and men. How can they be cast away?"

Watching the two old men argue until they were red in the face, Zhu Youjian actually burst out laughing. "Gentlemen, calm yourselves. We have already made Our decision. Summon Yuan Chonghuan and Mao Wenlong to the capital at once!"

(End of Chapter)