[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-37":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2364306,4623,"Chapter 37: The Emperor Who Cheats (Bonus Chapter for Alliance Leader)","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-37",37,"\u003Cp>The imperial garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How far have you gotten in the investigation?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianyuan Emperor asked casually as he strolled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the buzzing noise reduced, the Tianyuan Emperor had been in better spirits lately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man vanished immediately after the great battle in Liaodong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even his family and relatives—over a hundred people—disappeared suddenly from Suzhou two months ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gu Yuansong’s words sent shock through the several cabinet ministers following behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For such a thing to happen, someone within the empire must have cooperated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worse still, the timing of the family’s relocation nearly coincided with the battle in Liaodong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone must have leaked intelligence in advance, giving the Northern Barbarians time to prepare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did they activate their hidden agents within the empire to orchestrate the subsequent series of actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those responsible for formulating and executing the battle plan are all suspects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we continue digging deeper, we still don’t know how many Pure Stream Faction members are implicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Accusing them of betraying Great Ming is likely unjust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet their actions do appear connected to the Liaodong defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Hengsheng faintly sensed something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why were all the clues pointing toward the Pure Stream Faction?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the event of a crisis in Liaodong, the ones most likely implicated should be the Liaodong Faction and the Jin Party.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In such a major case, the entire court is watching; the Embroidered Uniform Guard would never dare to frame anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who dares to collude with the enemy and betray the state deserves death!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand Secretary Pang spoke first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more unfavorable the situation, the more one must strike first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the Pure Stream Faction, an official’s personal competence might falter, but their political stance must never be wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was their very foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone colluded with the Northern Barbarians, he was no longer a member of the Pure Stream Faction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then investigate first!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a pause, the Tianyuan Emperor asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have you devised a strategy for the issue of lost Garrison Land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real showdown had arrived; the atmosphere instantly grew tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Supporting an investigation into garrison land was one thing; proposing a concrete plan was another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The former was mere empty talk; no matter the outcome, no one bore responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once it became a specific plan, everyone became personally involved, and every word and action carried accountability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the garrison system is complex and entangled with too many historical legacies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we investigate now, this portion may be difficult to classify!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Duke Jing of Cheng spoke, he pushed the matter to its climax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back then, Emperor Xuanzong’s permission for scholars to take garrison land was essentially meant to suppress the military officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Grand Military Commission, holding financial, personnel, and command authority, had power equal to that of the Cabinet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the civil-military balance, this equilibrium seemed far too dangerous to Emperor Xuanzong, a civil ruler.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one anticipated that this single loophole would lead to the decline of the garrison system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing scholars turn garrison land into private property, military officers, unwilling to be outdone, joined the feast of dividing up the land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With both top and bottom acting together, no matter how vast the estate, it could not withstand such plundering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the garrison land was divided, the garrisons’ combat effectiveness collapsed completely, and retainers rose onto the historical stage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During times of imperial stability, minor bandits, rebels, and uprisings were handled by the officers’ retainers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With peace throughout the realm, no one wished to stir trouble, and life continued as before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when border threats resurfaced did people realize the danger and begin paying attention to the garrison system again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the previous emperor’s reign, the garrisons were thoroughly investigated, but resistance was too great, and the effort ended in failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Duke Jing of Cheng, what’s hard to classify about this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Emperor Xuanzong permitted it, simply exempt this portion and investigate the whereabouts of the rest of the garrison land!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand Secretary Xu smiled pleasantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By ignoring this portion of land, the resistance to investigation would be halved immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from the garrisons along the northern frontier, which still retained some combat strength, all other garrisons were merely groups of farmers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many battalion commanders and company commanders now lived no differently than village heads or neighborhood elders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the court truly resolved to investigate, these men could hardly resist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Secretary Xu’s suggestion is sound, but have you considered that over half of the garrison land was lost precisely this way?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Duke Xing’s question instantly shattered everyone’s composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over half of the garrison land—this figure would shake the heavens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Duke Xing, that’s absurd!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zuo Guang’en scoffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deceiving civil officials was one thing; trying to frighten him was a mistake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If all garrison land had truly fallen into the hands of scholars, what were the military officers guarding these riches doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One may ignore other matters, but when personal interests are at stake, who will yield easily?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Grace, this has nothing to do with numbers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary military households lack the means to support a scholar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those in the garrisons who passed the provincial or metropolitan examinations came from relatively high-status families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These military clans choosing to shift from military to civil service naturally took everything they could.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qin Shibiao explained calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blaming the civil official bloc was a strategy agreed upon by the hereditary nobles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exactly how much land was taken when military officers transitioned to civil service was already a muddled account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m beginning to understand. Your argument centers on who took the garrison land.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Arguing here won’t resolve anything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Ming has 493 garrisons, 2,593 battalions, and 315 defensive battalion commands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So you may divide the tasks among yourselves—each responsible for investigating a portion of the garrisons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should anyone resist stubbornly, punish them directly under the Great Ming Code.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All of you are pillars of the state; the garrison land concerns Great Ming’s survival. I entrust this matter to you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the Tianyuan Emperor bowed to them all, leaving no room for refusal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1432,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","99b8bc9dc081c231a86ca634d7115c4bcf508a74fab6fd6f7b79d221dd2fe47a","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-38","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-36",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]