Chapter 37: The Emperor Who Cheats (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader)

The imperial garden.

“How far have you gotten in the investigation?”

The Tianyuan Emperor asked casually as he strolled.

After the truth behind the defeat in Liaodong was unearthed, the civil officials could no longer continue blaming the decision-making errors, and even those criticizing military reform had greatly diminished.

With the buzzing noise reduced, the Tianyuan Emperor had been in better spirits lately.

“Your Majesty, after interrogating the relevant personnel, we discovered that it was the private secretary of Duan Wenhong, the Regional Military Commissioner of Liaodong, who suppressed the urgent military report.

This man vanished immediately after the great battle in Liaodong.

Even his family and relatives—over a hundred people—disappeared suddenly from Suzhou two months ago.

Aside from this man, the Shenyang Guard also reported to the Liaodong Military Supply Commissioner and the Liaodong Provincial Governor’s office, but neither paid attention.”

Gu Yuansong’s words sent shock through the several cabinet ministers following behind.

Great Ming tightly controls its populace; only those with the scholarly title of xiùcái or higher may travel freely, and ordinary people require a travel permit to leave their county.

Even if the Northern Barbarians could bribe one private secretary, they could not possibly extend their reach into the empire’s heartland to quietly relocate over a hundred family members.

For such a thing to happen, someone within the empire must have cooperated.

Worse still, the timing of the family’s relocation nearly coincided with the battle in Liaodong.

Someone must have leaked intelligence in advance, giving the Northern Barbarians time to prepare.

Only then did they activate their hidden agents within the empire to orchestrate the subsequent series of actions.

Those responsible for formulating and executing the battle plan are all suspects.

The Liaodong Provincial Governor’s office and the Liaodong Military Supply Commissioner’s office are severely negligent; it cannot be ruled out that some among them colluded with the Northern Barbarians.

Grand Secretary Pang and Grand Secretary Xu were most embarrassed—they had just been harshly criticizing the Liaodong defeat, only to realize the boomerang had struck them.

The Liaodong Provincial Governor and the Liaodong Military Supply Commissioner were both key figures of the Pure Stream Faction; now they had become the primary culprits of the Liaodong defeat.

Not only will these two men be ruined, but the local officials who allowed the entire rebel family—over a hundred people—to escape are equally culpable.

If we continue digging deeper, we still don’t know how many Pure Stream Faction members are implicated.

Accusing them of betraying Great Ming is likely unjust.

Yet their actions do appear connected to the Liaodong defeat.

Pang Hengsheng faintly sensed something was off.

Why were all the clues pointing toward the Pure Stream Faction?

The Pure Stream Faction was indeed a mix of good and bad, but its main activity was in the south and the capital; few of its officials held posts in the north.

In the event of a crisis in Liaodong, the ones most likely implicated should be the Liaodong Faction and the Jin Party.

In such a major case, the entire court is watching; the Embroidered Uniform Guard would never dare to frame anyone.

“Your Majesty, I recommend a thorough investigation of the Liaodong Provincial Governor’s office and the Liaodong Military Supply Commissioner’s office. Whoever is implicated must be pursued to the end.

Anyone who dares to collude with the enemy and betray the state deserves death!”

Grand Secretary Pang spoke first.

The more unfavorable the situation, the more one must strike first.

He simply did not believe the Liaodong Provincial Governor and the Liaodong Military Supply Commissioner had colluded with the Northern Barbarians; as long as it wasn’t treason, there was still room to maneuver.

For the Pure Stream Faction, an official’s personal competence might falter, but their political stance must never be wrong.

That was their very foundation.

If someone colluded with the Northern Barbarians, he was no longer a member of the Pure Stream Faction.

“Then investigate first!”

After a pause, the Tianyuan Emperor asked.

“Have you devised a strategy for the issue of lost Garrison Land?”

The real showdown had arrived; the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Supporting an investigation into garrison land was one thing; proposing a concrete plan was another.

The former was mere empty talk; no matter the outcome, no one bore responsibility.

Once it became a specific plan, everyone became personally involved, and every word and action carried accountability.

“Your Majesty, the garrison system is complex and entangled with too many historical legacies.

During Emperor Xuanzong’s reign, to demonstrate favor toward scholars, the court tacitly permitted those who passed the provincial examination to remove their garrison land from the garrison system.

If we investigate now, this portion may be difficult to classify!”

When Duke Jing of Cheng spoke, he pushed the matter to its climax.

Back then, Emperor Xuanzong’s permission for scholars to take garrison land was essentially meant to suppress the military officers.

The Grand Military Commission, holding financial, personnel, and command authority, had power equal to that of the Cabinet.

Under the civil-military balance, this equilibrium seemed far too dangerous to Emperor Xuanzong, a civil ruler.

No one anticipated that this single loophole would lead to the decline of the garrison system.

Seeing scholars turn garrison land into private property, military officers, unwilling to be outdone, joined the feast of dividing up the land.

With both top and bottom acting together, no matter how vast the estate, it could not withstand such plundering.

After the garrison land was divided, the garrisons’ combat effectiveness collapsed completely, and retainers rose onto the historical stage.

During times of imperial stability, minor bandits, rebels, and uprisings were handled by the officers’ retainers.

With peace throughout the realm, no one wished to stir trouble, and life continued as before.

Only when border threats resurfaced did people realize the danger and begin paying attention to the garrison system again.

During the previous emperor’s reign, the garrisons were thoroughly investigated, but resistance was too great, and the effort ended in failure.

“Duke Jing of Cheng, what’s hard to classify about this?

Since Emperor Xuanzong permitted it, simply exempt this portion and investigate the whereabouts of the rest of the garrison land!”

Grand Secretary Xu smiled pleasantly.

By ignoring this portion of land, the resistance to investigation would be halved immediately.

Aside from the garrisons along the northern frontier, which still retained some combat strength, all other garrisons were merely groups of farmers.

Many battalion commanders and company commanders now lived no differently than village heads or neighborhood elders.

If the court truly resolved to investigate, these men could hardly resist.

“Grand Secretary Xu’s suggestion is sound, but have you considered that over half of the garrison land was lost precisely this way?”

Duke Xing’s question instantly shattered everyone’s composure.

Over half of the garrison land—this figure would shake the heavens.

“Duke Xing, that’s absurd!

Since our dynasty’s founding, how many provincial and metropolitan graduates has the garrison system produced? How could they possibly have taken so much land?”

Zuo Guang’en scoffed.

Deceiving civil officials was one thing; trying to frighten him was a mistake.

If all garrison land had truly fallen into the hands of scholars, what were the military officers guarding these riches doing?

One may ignore other matters, but when personal interests are at stake, who will yield easily?

“Your Grace, this has nothing to do with numbers.

Ordinary military households lack the means to support a scholar.

Those in the garrisons who passed the provincial or metropolitan examinations came from relatively high-status families.

These military clans choosing to shift from military to civil service naturally took everything they could.”

Qin Shibiao explained calmly.

Blaming the civil official bloc was a strategy agreed upon by the hereditary nobles.

Exactly how much land was taken when military officers transitioned to civil service was already a muddled account.

…

“I’m beginning to understand. Your argument centers on who took the garrison land.

Arguing here won’t resolve anything.

Great Ming has 493 garrisons, 2,593 battalions, and 315 defensive battalion commands.

So you may divide the tasks among yourselves—each responsible for investigating a portion of the garrisons.

As for historical legacy issues, I have no intention of pursuing them deeply; as long as the garrison land is returned, past offenses will be pardoned.

Should anyone resist stubbornly, punish them directly under the Great Ming Code.

All of you are pillars of the state; the garrison land concerns Great Ming’s survival. I entrust this matter to you!”

With that, the Tianyuan Emperor bowed to them all, leaving no room for refusal.

(End of chapter)