Chapter 290: Details

The Jiangnan wealthy gentry clique's conspiracy to stage a market-closing tax strike was still in its early stages when Liang Qi's secret report had already reached the capital.

When Luo Yangxing delivered Liang Qi's memorial and plans to the palace, Zhu Youjian expressed his approval of the entire scheme after reading it.

Although he had anticipated considerable resistance when the commercial tax was first levied, Zhu Youjian had still underestimated the audacity of the Jiangnan gentry.

When their vital interests suffered enormous damage, this clique still chose to sacrifice the stability of Jiangnan in exchange for protecting the private interests of their small group from infringement.

Zhu Youjian, who had originally wanted to use bloodless, gentle means and a gradual approach to balance the interests of all parties, was now forced to reflect on whether he had been too lenient.

The concepts of rule of law and equality, which had been ingrained into the very marrow of his bones from his later life, were facing enormous challenges in this present world.

Zhu Youjian could now see clearly that in this Great Ming, where hierarchical thinking was universally accepted and endorsed, bloodshed seemed inevitable if he wished to achieve his goals. Of course, bloodshed did not mean indiscriminate killing — that would turn the instruments of power into an uncontrollable double-edged sword in the end.

Necessary forceful measures would make certain people understand what the court's bottom line was; only by following the court's laws and regulations could individuals and families preserve their interests over the longer term.

Zhu Youjian knew that in this age of extremely backward transportation, the transmission of information was very slow, and the market-closing action organized by the wealthy Jiangnan merchants would not be launched immediately.

Given the ancients' extremely inefficient organizational abilities, from plotting the market closure, to writing letters or sending people to communicate with all parties, to the wealthy merchants receiving the relevant news and then consulting with their clansmen or the backers behind them, analyzing the pros and cons and consequences as well as the court's reaction, to all parties agreeing and then meeting to discuss specific measures, and then rushing back to their respective prefectures to make the relevant preparations — all of this could not possibly be accomplished in less than several months' time.

Even a xiucai can't stage a rebellion in ten years, let alone these merchants who, though shrewd, lacked political acumen. The final planning and layout of this matter would ultimately have to rely on the officials and their staff advisors behind them.

As for these Jiangnan gentry who failed to see that the times had undergone enormous changes, no matter what means they employed, Zhu Youjian simply did not care.

The boudoir of soft pleasures is the hero's grave.

These Jiangnan officials, who had long lost themselves in extravagance and dissipation, would naturally assume that as long as they collectively pressured the Emperor as they had always done before, the current Emperor would, under powerful public opinion pressure, obediently retract his orders just like his predecessors — after which they would congratulate one another, sing their songs and drink their wine as usual, celebrating in practice that everything had returned to how it once was.

But few among the Jiangnan officials were sensitive enough to notice such a phenomenon: while the roving bandits were being wiped out, the command authority over the military, which had originally belonged to the civil official faction, had quietly changed hands. The Emperor had, over the course of several years and without a sound, established powerful armed forces directly under the royal house — the Yongwei Camp, the Capital Camps, the Qin Army. These formidable organs were sufficient to bring catastrophic ruin to any faction.

Zhu Youjian's secret edict was issued to the headquarters of the Embroidered Uniform Guard a few days later: appointing Li Ruolian, Assistant Guard Commander and Provost of the Northern Bastille, as Imperial Commissioner to the Southern Metropolitan Region, leading three hundred riders of the Northern Bastille to secretly head south in batches on an appointed date, with full authority to handle the matter of the Jiangnan merchants' market closure.

As for the fact that once the market closure actually occurred it would certainly shake the court and the public, Zhu Youjian would also arrange for senior court ministers to head south as Imperial Commissioners at that time — for no other purpose than to clean up after the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Zhu Youjian had long known exactly who to send. Li Banghua, who had left the capital over half a year ago and was still in Shandong handling the relocation and resettlement of disaster victims, was the best choice.

Censor Li, who hated evil as much as he hated his enemies, though he did not care for the depots and guards either, loathed that bunch of Jiangnan vermin even more than he did the Embroidered Uniform Guard. If Zhu Youjian were to propose a plan to abolish the various ministries and offices in Nanjing in the future, Old Li would surely be the first to stand up in support. The title of Left Chief Censor of the Censorate was also more than sufficient to suppress the Jiangnan officialdom.

The Jiangnan matter was not worth worrying about; now all focus revolved around preparations for the coming great battle with the Jianzhou barbarians.

According to Zhu Youjian's requirements, the Four Seas Trading Company was mobilizing the resources of its branch offices in every prefecture and county, going all out to purchase cotton produced in the major cotton-growing regions.

Zhu Youjian's requirement was to buy cotton at any cost — if others offered one tael of silver per shi, then the Four Seas Trading Company would offer one tael and two mace, the purpose being to purchase the majority of the cotton to guarantee the enormous military demand of the coming winter.

Since the ninth year of Chongzhen, from the secret memorials of the military discipline officers embedded in the various armies — especially the border troops — Zhu Youjian had learned that the soldiers garrisoning the frontiers were extremely lacking in military supplies.

Many soldiers had guarded the borders for generations, but their mandarin-duck combat jackets were likewise passed down through several generations. The cotton wadding inside had turned into hard, thin sheets. When the bitter cold of winter arrived, such uniforms were utterly insufficient to provide adequate protection against the cold. Moreover, most soldiers' military boots had long since fallen to pieces, many exposing their toes. With such military supplies, let alone fighting the enemy — frostbite alone would cause massive attrition.

Yet even under such harsh conditions, though some families did flee in secret, most border troops still held their posts generation after generation in the bitter, frozen lands, doing their small part to keep the Great Ming free from foreign invasion.

While hating those officials and officers who bled the soldiers dry, Zhu Youjian was also deeply dissatisfied with the several emperors who had come before him.

People are out there fighting desperately for you, yet you keep defaulting on their pay and provisions, and even their regular autumn and winter uniforms haven't been issued for years. No wonder the Zhu family ultimately lost the state and the house.

Once his finances became more comfortable, starting from the second half of last year, Zhu Youjian had allocated enormous sums from the privy purse to the Directorate of Construction under the Ministry of Works, to be used to accelerate the production of military uniforms and armor. He also established a Directorate of Construction branch in Shaanxi to provide sufficient autumn and winter uniforms for the border troops of the nine major frontier garrisons, including Xuanfu-Datong, Ningxia, Gansu, Guyuan, Yansui, and the Shaanxi garrison.

Although some border troops had already received their new mandarin-duck combat jackets, cotton armor, military boots, gloves, and ear caps, because the number of border troops was so great, the Directorate of Construction could not yet supply all soldiers with sufficient military goods in the short term. But with the expansion of the workshops and the increase in manpower, this situation was rapidly improving.

The felt purchased by the Four Seas Trading Company from beyond the frontier was also being cut to pattern and used as lining for combat boots. These boots were several times warmer and more comfortable than the originals, and were highly praised by the border troops.

Do not underestimate these minor measures — it was precisely these steps that the ministers disdained to notice that had an immeasurable effect on boosting military morale.

Based on the current production pace of the two Directorates of Construction with nearly twenty thousand workers, within two years, every regular soldier in the northern lands of the Great Ming would receive two sets of autumn and winter uniforms, and thereafter two new sets would be issued every two years as replacements.

Operating on the principle of keeping business in the family, the Four Seas Trading Company naturally became the supplier of raw materials needed for military uniforms and armor. This arrangement also cut off the corrupt practices of Ministry of War or Ministry of Works officials skimming from the top.

Zhu Youjian had now extended his use of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot into the Four Seas Trading Company as well. Moreover, Zhu Youjian had solemnly warned the high officials of the depots and guards that their supervision of the various ministries and courts was merely the overt method — there were others secretly observing these very depot and guard officials. Should any of them be found guilty of graft or colluding with inside and outside forces, their fate could well be imagined.

The high officials of the depots and guards had therefore sternly warned all their officers: the current generous salaries were hard-won; should anyone commit crimes, once exposed, their relatives and children would all be expelled from the depots and guards, left to fend for themselves.

The Four Seas Trading Company's scale was growing ever larger, its enterprises touching nearly every aspect of production in society. The profits generated were enormous, and it was inevitable that some would develop greedy thoughts in the face of such wealth.

For minor transgressions Zhu Youjian could turn a blind eye, but if he discovered anyone insatiably avaricious, what awaited them was death and the ruin of their family.

As the chief steward of the Four Seas Trading Company, Gong Fanwu naturally knew the Emperor's bottom line very well. Under Gong Yonggu's repeated admonitions, Gong Fanwu had also strengthened his oversight over the stewards of the various major prefectures under his command.

He would often appear suddenly at some prefecture with his attendants without prior notice, then confiscate all the account books for auditing and reconciliation. Whenever he discovered any embezzlement, Gong Fanwu would mete out punishment according to the amount involved and the duration of the offense, and afterward submit a detailed report to Zhu Youjian.

For this talented and reliable individual, Zhu Youjian felt genuine admiration. Unfortunately, Gong Fanwu held no examination degree, and could only bear the title of Chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard for now — something Zhu Youjian felt quite guilty about.

He had no way yet to elevate a commoner to the rank of court official; only after the Great Ming gradually changed would he be able to give him a proper standing.

Since crossing over, the Great Ming had been advancing according to his design — exceptionally slowly yet steadfastly — in a single direction. These changes were difficult for people to notice, but they were genuinely transforming the Great Ming in many ways, and also changing the fates of many people.

Zheng Zhifeng was one of them.

A man of pirate origins, he had never imagined that one day he would become a dazzling star in the officialdom of the Great Ming, and that his deeds would lay an exceptionally solid foundation for the future strength and prosperity of the dynasty.