Chapter 1674: We Have Money — Come and Swindle Us!

Now that the Emperor has money and wants to take some out to subsidize the soldiers fighting at the front, how could the treacherous ministers filling the court possibly object?

Luo Yangxing, Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Liu Chao, the Eastern Depot's "house-confiscating eunuch," are both glaring tiger-like at the whole lot of them!

Most of the eunuch-faction traitors in the Ming court right now are feeling guilty! They can't even flatter fast enough — who would dare raise objections?

"Your Majesty's sagacity is truly a blessing to the Great Ming, a blessing to the people, and a blessing to the soldiers of the three armies!"

A pack of treacherous ministers immediately sent their flattery flying up.

Zhu Youjian nodded with satisfaction: it seems that being an emperor means using ministers who are a bit crafty! When We had a court full of upright officials back in the day, it was never this satisfying. And those upright officials were just as corrupt! Otherwise how did Li Zicheng confiscate thirty million taels? Since they're going to be corrupt either way, better to use crafty ministers who are obedient and good at flattery.

"Your Majesty, the Ministry of War has just received a report from Datong: the Chahar tribe's Khutugtu Khan has moved his entire tribe west and is attacking the forces of Shunyi King Bushitu. Bushitu cannot hold out and has sent envoys to the Datong Regional Commander's yamen seeking aid."

Wang Zaijin, one of the few upright ministers left at court, stepped forward at this moment to report on Khutugtu Khan's attack on Bushitu Khan.

Zhu Youjian had long known about this matter — in his previous life he had regretted it! To save two or three hundred thousand taels in market grants, he had fought the Chahar tribe to mutual ruin, and in the end let the eastern barbarians profit, seizing the Chahar tribe's old lands and opening a route to bypass the passes and strike. Time and again they came inside the passes to kill, burn, and loot!

If not for that unfilial son, the Great Ming would have been looted into extinction! This time We must not repeat the same mistake!

"Although this Khutugtu Khan does not dare clash head-on with the eastern barbarians, his Chahar tribe still has real strength." Zhu Youjian smiled. "The Tumed tribe has enjoyed our market grants for decades and grown used to the good life; they cannot defeat the Chahar tribe, and by now they have probably been wiped out. Even if We wanted to save them, there would be nothing left to save. Better to transfer the market grants meant for the Tumed tribe to the Chahar tribe."

What? Just like that? The silver is just handed over to them?

Wang Zaijin was dumbfounded. You, a young Son of Heaven, have not a drop of fighting spirit?

"Your Majesty," Wang Zaijin was upright and loyal, and of course he dared to remonstrate bluntly to the imperial face, "the Chahar tribe's Khutugtu Khan is a petty man who takes money and does nothing. The court has given him over a million taels over the years, yet he fears the eastern barbarians like tigers and does not dare fight them at all!"

Zhu Youjian's face was expressionless, not angry in the least — there were too many people who took money and did nothing! Half the civil and military officials at court were muddle-headed officials who took money and did nothing, and a smaller portion were actively harmful; only a handful actually got things done.

And what about the hundred-some thousand troops in Liaodong? Were they not also afraid of the eastern barbarians like tigers, knowing only how to ask for money and not how to fight, and even when forced onto the battlefield, suffering defeat after defeat?

Could one dismiss all the officials just because they did not do their jobs? Could one disband all the Liaodong troops just because they were all useless?

"We know Khutugtu Khan is a useless petty man, but his Chahar tribe, after all, descends in a direct line from Emperor Shun of Yuan." Zhu Youjian spoke with full confidence. "On the steppe, anyone can surrender to the eastern barbarians — only the Chahar tribe's Khutugtu Khan cannot surrender, because he is the so-called legitimate heir of the Northern Yuan! If he surrendered, he would sooner or later be put to death.

Furthermore, he cannot go further west, because the Oirat confederation to the west would not accept him, this Northern Yuan legitimate heir, coming to seek refuge — and his Chahar tribe could not defeat the western Oirat confederation anyway.

So Khutugtu Khan retreating to the Tumed plain is about as far as he can go. If he goes further west, his followers will likely scatter, and he will become a man all alone."

This time it was not only Wang Zaijin who was astonished — the entire court of civil and military officials was astonished. This young Son of Heaven actually understood Mongol affairs quite well, and his analysis was quite on point.

But Wang Zaijin still would not let it go, and said to Zhu Youjian: "Your Majesty, this Khutugtu Khan has always feared force but never cherished virtue. Our dynasty has given him so many market grants, yet he has not a shred of gratitude. Instead he fears the eastern barbarians like a sheep at the sight of a fierce tiger. If our dynasty keeps indulging him and lightly grants annual awards, Khutugtu Khan will certainly not be grateful — he will only press his advantage and bully our dynasty all the more."

Zhu Youjian thought to himself: isn't the Great Ming easy to bully right now? Internal troubles and external threats pile up, and treacherous ministers are everywhere.

Wang Zaijin saw that Zhu Youjian still had no reaction, like a clay figurine without any fire in him, and he truly began to grow anxious. He had still hoped to use the opportunity of war with the Chahar tribe to carry out his grand plan of contracting the defenses in western Liaoning!

"Your Majesty," Wang Zaijin gritted his teeth and continued, "this subject recommends immediately strengthening the defenses of the three garrisons of Jizhou, Xuanfu, and Datong. Furthermore, transfer ten thousand iron cavalry from the Liaodong garrison to Xuanfu, ready at any moment to meet Khutugtu Khan's forces in battle."

What? Transfer ten thousand Liaodong garrison iron cavalry to Xuanfu?

Zhu Youjian reacted at once.

So this Wang Zaijin was still scheming to abandon the Ningyuan-Jinzhou defenses!

On paper the Liaodong garrison had a hundred ten or twenty thousand troops; in reality, who knew if there were even sixty thousand? And the most combat-capable among them were the household retainers of the various Liaodong commanders, totaling only around ten thousand.

If those ten thousand most combat-capable household retainers were all transferred to Xuanfu, then the Liaodong front would have to contract its defenses. Ningyuan might still be garrisoned, but Jinzhou, Greater Linghe Fort, Lesser Linghe Fort, Songshan Fort, and other places would have reason to be abandoned.

If the western Liaoning front could be pulled back to Ningyuan Guard, then the Ming forces deployed on the western Liaoning axis could be reduced by at least a third to a half — thirty or forty thousand actual troops would be enough.

In the Battle of Ningyuan in the first year of Tianqi and the Battle of Ning-Jin in the seventh year of Tianqi, the defenders of Ningyuan city numbered only ten or twenty thousand, yet they still repelled the attacks of Nurhaci and Hong Taiji. Zhu Youjian reckoned that the eastern barbarians, having already suffered two defeats at Ningyuan, would not dare attack Ningyuan a third time.

"Minister Wang speaks reason!" Zhu Youjian's expression suddenly changed — a moment ago it had been calm, and now his face was full of anger. "Though We are young, We know that our dynasty has always refused tribute payments, refused marriage alliances, and refused to cede territory. We too despise that fickle petty man Khutugtu Khan!

If he dares lead troops to raid our borders, We shall dispatch the Imperial Guard and the Liaodong iron cavalry to strike him hard and wipe him out!"

Zhu Youjian's gaze blazed as he looked at the assembled ministers and said, word by deliberate word: "The court's past market grants to the Chahar tribe, the Tumed tribe, and the five Inner Khalkha tribes reached over three hundred thousand taels a year at their peak. We shall now take from the privy purse silver equal to three years of market grants — one million taels in total — to distribute as rewards to the brave men of the Liaodong garrison and the Imperial Guard! Whoever can shatter the Chahar tribe shall be richly rewarded by Us!"

Hearing this, Wang Zaijin was already secretly giving a thumbs-up. This sovereign — one could not say whether he was wise or foolish, but he was certainly deeply crafty! The moment he was reminded, he immediately followed up with a scheme, and even produced one million taels from the privy purse as bait to lure the Liaodong iron cavalry westward.

Although one million taels was not a large sum compared to the four million-plus taels spent annually on Liaodong's military expenses, this silver was to be distributed directly by the Emperor, with no "middlemen." And it was a windfall besides, so the officers and men of the Liaodong garrison would certainly be tempted.

But there were still clear-sighted men at court. Left Chief Censor Sun Chengzong immediately caught the problem and stepped forward to memorialize: "Your Majesty, this subject believes that transferring elite Liaodong troops into Datong and Xuanfu is highly inadvisable."

Zhu Youjian looked at Sun Chengzong and said in a heavy tone: "Does Master Sun wish to make Us a muddle-headed sovereign who pays tribute and makes marriage alliances?"

Sun Chengzong hastily shook his head: "No, no. Khutugtu Khan has the ambition of a wolf and is insatiably greedy; paying tribute is absolutely out of the question. But withdrawing Liaodong's elite troops is even more out of the question! The situation in western Liaoning is critical; a hundred-some thousand defenders still seem insufficient. If over ten thousand elite troops are transferred away, the Guan-Ning-Jin defense line will surely be hard to hold, and abandoning territory and contracting will become unavoidable.

Every inch of Liaodong soil was won through the bloody battles of our soldiers — how can it be abandoned without cause? Moreover, the eastern barbarian Hong Taiji has even greater ambitions and will surely launch a fierce assault the moment our troops pull back even slightly. If western Liaoning is lost, the whole situation will collapse!"

Hong Taiji would never attack Ningyuan or Shanhai Pass! Zhu Youjian thought to himself: he would only go around and enter the passes, so what needed strengthening now was Xuanfu, Jizhou, and Datong.

In the end, they still had to fight and woo that fickle petty man Khutugtu Khan at the same time — make him understand their strength while keeping his own power intact. So a thunderous strike was still necessary!

Thinking this far, Zhu Youjian said to Sun Chengzong: "Master Sun, rest assured. We will not abandon Ningyuan, nor will We let Hong Taiji seize Ningyuan. We shall send Yuan Chonghuan to Ningyuan to serve as Governor again. With Yuan Chonghuan there, how would Hong Taiji dare attack Ningyuan again?"

(End of Chapter)