Chapter 239: The Audience

Hong Chengchou was perfectly clear on why the Emperor had ordered him to replace Wu Aheng as Supreme Commander of Jizhou and Liaodong: to discipline the Liaodong military clans, split apart and weaken the Guanning army, reduce the Liaodong levy, and prepare for the eventual destruction of Jianzhou.

Having commanded troops for ten years as a civil official, Hong Chengchou had dealt with countless Ming generals and had gained considerable insight into how to handle these rough men.

In his eyes, the Ming dynasty's military officers could be roughly divided into several categories.

The first category were loyal and upright commanders who were devoted to the Emperor and the court, never disobeyed superior orders, and did not treat their subordinates as private soldiers—men like Cao Wenzhao, Cao Bianjiao, Bai Guang'en, and Ai Wannian. These were the commanders he most valued and appreciated, but they were far too few in number.

The second category, the most numerous, mostly obeyed superior orders but would seize the opportunity to make corresponding demands to pursue private interests—such as asking for official positions, money and grain, weapons and armor—to expand their own strength. He Renlong, Zuo Liangyu, and Yang Guozhu were representative of this type, and Hong Chengchou was confident he could keep them in check.

The third category were commanders like Zu Dashou of Liaodong. They used the court's money and grain to support their own private troops, treated the Emperor and the court as if they did not exist, and cared only for their own interests. Though they would also resist the Jianzhou barbarians, such actions were more about maintaining the balance between the Ming and Jianzhou so that they could extract greater long-term benefits from the situation.

Against warlords like Zu Dashou who cast aside the greater good of the state, even the shrewd and calculating Hong Chengchou could not immediately devise a good way to deal with them. After taking up his post in Jizhou and Liaodong, he could only adapt his plans based on the actual situation.

In the Qianqing Palace, after performing the grand ceremonial bows and being granted a seat, Zhu Youjian studied Hong Hengjiu, who sat on the brocade stool, with a somewhat complicated expression.

Toward this famous figure who had historically been listed in the "Biographies of the Twice-Serving," Zhu Youjian did not feel the same warmth he had felt upon meeting Lu Xiangsheng and Sun Chuanting. What he felt instead was more of the detachment between a superior and a subordinate.

Though he knew that Hong Chengchou's historical surrender had been an act of desperation to preserve his life—something he could understand—subconsciously he could never accept such a betrayal of the Ming.

Zhu Youjian knew he should not negate a man's entire being over something that had never happened. For ten years, Hong Chengchou had made enormous contributions to suppressing bandits and pacifying the people. Without him scrambling to put out fires on all sides, the Ming would have already fallen. For now, he could only quietly convince himself to treat the man as a meritorious minister.

"Minister Hong, if I remember correctly, this is the first time we have met as sovereign and minister in the ten years since I ascended the throne, is it not? Minister Hong is renowned throughout the Ming court. Though you and I have never met face to face, we have long known each other in spirit. The great contributions Minister Hong has made to the Ming empire over the years have always been kept in my heart! You are about to depart for your post in Jizhou and Liaodong. I hope you will boldly take on your responsibilities and achieve new merits! I will surely reward you handsomely!"

Zhu Youjian spoke in warm tones.

Hong Chengchou had passed the metropolitan examination in the forty-fourth year of Wanli. In the second year of Tianqi, he had already left the capital to take up the post of Education Commissioner of Zhejiang. In the first year of Chongzhen, he had been transferred to serve as Grain Intendant of Shaanxi, and had since held important posts in Shaanxi, Yansui, and other places—until today, when sovereign and minister finally met.

"Your servant would not dare trouble His Majesty with concern! Though I have spent many years toiling in the northwest, my achievements have been meager indeed. I am truly ashamed to receive His Majesty's praise! Though the road ahead in Jizhou and Liaodong is difficult, I will do everything in my power to resolve the state's troubles and set His Majesty's mind at ease!"

Hong Chengchou rose and bowed, replying in a respectful tone.

Though he had faced countless dangers and hardships over the past ten years, and though this was his first audience with the Emperor, Hong Chengchou did not tremble with fear at seeing the imperial countenance as others did. His every word and gesture remained composed and unhurried, displaying the bearing of a renowned minister unlike any other.

"Minister Hong need not be overly modest—I am well aware of your contributions. As you go to Jizhou and Liaodong, you should understand my intent: now that the realm within our borders has been pacified, the Jianzhou threat has become a problem that must be solved. We have nursed a tiger in Liaodong for too long. If we allow it to grow stronger, it will surely turn and devour us! To eliminate this affliction, we must first stabilize Liaodong. The previous Liaodong Supreme Commander was a mere figurehead who watched the border situation deteriorate—truly a mediocrity! You possess far-reaching wisdom and exceptional ability, widely praised by court officials, which is why I have sent you to take over. I wish to know your views on the Liaodong situation."

"Your servant does not deserve His Majesty's praise! Since receiving the imperial decree, I have often pondered the matter in my spare time: to pacify and destroy the jumping Jianzhou thieves, Liaodong is the key to victory. And the Liaodong officers' disregard for the court's military orders must be changed! The troops of Ning and Jinzhou eat the court's grain—they should be soldiers of the Ming, not the private troops of one family or one surname! Looking at the entire Ning-Jin army, they know only Zu and Wu, not His Majesty—how can this be tolerated! But the Zu and Wu families have operated in Liaodong for so long that their power within the army is deeply entrenched like tangled roots. How difficult it is to cure this ailment! After much deliberation, I believe we must first divide their loyalties, tempt them with profit, and pressure them with overwhelming force—only by employing several measures simultaneously can we hope to see results!"

Hong Chengchou spoke with calm composure, appearing outwardly to hold all the answers in his grasp, yet inwardly he had not the slightest confidence.

According to the troop numbers reported by Liaodong, there were two hundred thousand officers and soldiers along the Ning-Jin line. But Hong Chengchou estimated the actual number was around one hundred fifty thousand. Of these hundred-plus thousand troops, only about ten percent were truly capable of fighting, and even those ten thousand or so were scattered among dozens of commanders as their household retainers.

Among the Ning-Jin officers, the more capable fighters were Zu Kuan, Wu Sangui, Li Chongjin, and others—each of these three commanding anywhere from one to two thousand men. When summoned to fight bandits in the interior, the cavalry under these men performed quite well. The remaining commanders each had only a few hundred well-equipped, battle-hardened household retainers.

The millions in military pay and provisions that the court allocated each year were mostly embezzled by these commanders. While satisfying their own desires, they used the funds to generously support their household retainers, while the remaining hundred-plus thousand soldiers received pitifully little pay and provisions.

"Does Minister Hong have a concrete plan? Such a great matter cannot be settled by mere talk—there must be a sequential strategy, or it will be difficult to carry out!"

Zhu Youjian pressed further.

Hong Chengchou's words sounded simple, but implementing them required a complete plan. The Guanning army was as solid as a single block of iron—dividing it would hardly be easy.

"When your servant was suppressing bandits in northern Shaanxi, Vice Regional Commander Wu of Guangning served under my command for nearly two years. He is tall and imposing, and when facing the enemy he often charges first into the fray—extremely brave. I once probed his intentions and observed his words and deeds; he harbors considerable loyalty and a desire to serve his sovereign, and he is also a man with a great love of fame. Now that His Majesty has made the inspired move of transferring the Wu father and son to Jizhou, separating Zu and Wu and making communication between them inconvenient, I intend to work through the Wu family to sow discord between the two houses. This strategy still requires His Majesty to entice them with rank and profit—how to proceed, I humbly submit to His Majesty's wise judgment!"

Historically, even when the Ming empire was on the verge of collapse, Wu Sangui had no intention of surrendering to the Qing.

In the fifteenth year of Chongzhen, Zu Dashou, after holding out in besieged Jinzhou for a year with his grain exhausted, surrendered. Wu Sangui was then Regional Commander of Guangning, commanding the Ming forces beyond the pass. Hong Taiji had Zu Dashou write a letter urging his nephew Wu Sangui to surrender, but Wu Sangui directly refused in his reply. In the end, forced by the Emperor's suicide and pressure from both within and without, he surrendered to the Qing—truly an act of desperation. Yet due to many factors, he was condemned for ten thousand generations in history.

Zhu Youjian's attitude toward Wu Sangui was the same as toward Hong Chengchou. Though he felt uncomfortable psychologically, his reason told him that both men were among the Ming's finest talents, and it was only the turning of fate's wheel that had left them both covered in infamy.

Hong Chengchou's strategy could not be called unworkable, but the difficulty was considerable and the hope of success extremely slim. Yet Zhu Youjian also knew that if even a man of Hong Chengchou's caliber had no better plan, then no one else would amount to anything either.

"Minister Hong, do as you see fit. Do your best and leave the rest to heaven—let us see what outcome comes! All men love fame and profit. As long as one renders merit to the state, I will not stint on promotion and reward—the highest offices beneath the throne, even the rank of marquis or earl, are not out of reach! Minister Hong, bear this in mind!"

Zhu Youjian declared with magnanimity.